By Huldah Shado
Students of the University of Jos staged a peaceful protest on Thursday over the deplorable sanitary conditions in their hostels and the university’s failure to pay hostel cleaners for over seven months.
As early as 7:00 a.m., hundreds of students gathered at the main campus, blocking all entrances and effectively halting academic and administrative activities. Chanting solidarity songs and carrying placards, the students demanded urgent intervention.
Student leaders said the protest stemmed from a complete breakdown of sanitation services in the hostels, caused by the university’s failure to pay cleaning staff.
“Until the management provides evidence that the hostel cleaners have been paid, we will continue to protest,” a student spokesperson declared.
The protesting students painted a grim picture of their living conditions.
Overflowing trash, blocked toilets, and a leaking sewage system contaminating their drinking water have made the hostels, in their words, “uninhabitable.”
“Our hostels are no longer fit for human habitation. The stench is unbearable, toilets are unusable, and our water is no longer safe,” one student lamented.
The university authorities are yet to issue an official response as the protest continues to draw attention to the worsening hygiene crisis on campus.
