Prof, Edwin Omeje, Dean Students Affairs, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), has challenged the alumni of the University to lend support to the institution, especially in the reconstruction and rehabilitation of students’ hostels.
In an interview with The AUTHORITY, Prof. Omeje lamented the paucity of hostel accommodation in the university, saying some of the hostels resemble prison facility.
According to him “We want our students to live in better and comfortable conditions.
“Teaching and learning are strongly connected to environment. I cannot tell a student in Alvan hostel, even with the clean-up, to keep quiet and he will obey, because they are living up to fifteen boys in a room.
“I see the state of some of these hostels more as a prison, which is why I challenge those who had benefited from the university to come up and help rebuild and develop the institution since the best universities in the world were not run with state money but those of stakeholders.”
He attributed the state of the hostels to years of neglect and paucity of fund to do the needful, stressing that if the right strings are pulled by members of the alumni association of the university, as is done in other universities, the situation will definitely change for the better.
“This is the number one industry in the south east with over 600 Professors and you know what that translates to economically even with the poor salaries,” he said.
