“University of Abuja Has Infrastructure Challenges”, says S.U.G President

Comrade Onuh Felix is the chairman Student Union Government University of Abuja. In this exclusive interview with SECURITY MONITOR correspondent Emmanuel Dawodu Hulleji, the union leader who is full of hope of rekindle lost glory of the university bares his minds on the various challenges facing the school.

WHEN DID YOU ASSUME OFFICE?

I assumed office on the 20th September 2016.

SO FAR, WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS?

We have been doing our best over the holidays while the students were on break as part of our usual commitment to the welfare of students. We were ably on ground to feed the management with necessary information and ensure that the student interests are been protected and handled with concern. We have achieved so much and that does not mean I wouldn’t take a little of my time to analyze a few that are visually visible to the students of the university in and outside the campus. Under my leadership I have been able to ensure stability of electricity, stable water supply within the hostels, mounting pressure on the management consistently as to making sure that the plight of the students are put into consideration when management makes policies and programs for the institution.

WHAT ARE THE PLIGHTS OF THE STUDENTS YOU KNOW AS A LEADER?

I must tell you that the essence of student union is because of the challenges students find themselves in during their stay in the university. Firstly, I would wish to start from the academic aspect, why?, because it is directly related to acquiring of knowledge which is our primary aim and objective. The academic challenge bores down to the issue of accreditation, the carrying capacity of the university have drastically dropped as a result of courses that are not accredited; the faculty of law, chemistry department and others are victims of this. But we remain gracious to the vice chancellor professor Michael Atuluku, the amiable transformer for his relentless effort to bringing back the institution to its past glory.

Infrastructural facilities is another big challenge in the university, issue of poor transport scheme. The institution is operating two campuses and lectures could be fixed in any of the two in a day, but the mobility to move students from one campus to the other becomes a problem as students have to source for fund to power their movement per time. It is extremely stressful both emotionally and financial wise considering the state of the economy. We are using this opportunity to call on the minister for transport to provide coaster buses that would aid students in other to ensure smooth transition from one campus to the other for lectures and other academic activities.

We are also saddled with the issue of accommodation .Accommodation is a key challenge that also need quick attention. A university of over 4500 students located in the federal capital territory Abuja should not have been embarrassed with such an ugly situation and also considering the fact that cost of living is skyrocketed resulting to students lacking comfortable shelter. That is why you discover that students who rent houses close to the university do stay 6 and even 7 at times in a room ought to have been only for 2 or at most 3 in a room. To this effect myself, the student union plead with the minister of works and Housing ,minister for education and the FCT minister to look inward as to contribute to the face left of the university.

The other issue I wish to plead the government to come to our aid is the issue of sports. Sports these days are no longer for pleasure, leisure or ordinary exercise but rather a profession that yields much income than some notable professions worldwide. I call on the minister of sports to help in breathing up the dilapidated facilities in other to build future stars in the sport sector which would also be a means of fighting unemployment .On visit to ABU Zaria ,Unilag and a few others round the nation, you discover that they don’t tore with sporting activities and this is aided by availabilities of adequate facilities. University of Abuja is not too small to have a mini stadium of her own where professionals can come to train per time and put students through in some cases in conjunction with the sports unit of the university. It is a fact that the increase in social vises among Nigerian students is facilitated by idleness because if they are positively engaged the issue of defiance would be at a very low rate. The government should know that sports is an avenue we can use to checkmate youth restiveness, according to SDG charter, “sport is an avenue to engage youths positively”.

WHAT DO YOU WISH TO ACHIEVE BEFORE LEAVING OFFICE FOR THE BENEFIT OF STUDENTS WHO YOU REPRESENT?

We are doing much and still very much determined at achieving even much more particularly the issues I have outlined before now which are academics and accreditation issue, school development like hostel building, entrepreneurial skill acquisition which I know by it our graduates will not be job seekers but rather employers of labour ,a multipurpose sporting activities court and a formidable student union leadership.

SO HOW DO YOU WISH TO DELIVER ALL THESE?

My body language shows that am extremely focused at delivery.so long I can picture it, sure I can bring it to a reality and by God’s grace who gives strength to deliver, I will.

DON’T YOU THINK THERE COULD BE CHALLENGES?      

Government is all about interest ,and so long interest works parupasue with the vision,delivery is sure.blasphemy, wrong propaganda are also obstacles and that is the beauty of democracy, but I see them as reasons why I have to be focused the more, they also prepare me for leadership in the wider world.

Financial challenges are also there but I believe I would over come.

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR THE STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ABUJA?

My philosophy ,if the management of Nigerian universities must be truly Democratic in nature the view and interest of Nigerian students must be treated with priority.my advice to the students of this noble institution is that they should be responsible ambassadors of the university where ever they are irrespective of what they find to doing ,and always be determined at adding value to where ever you are and the economy at large.

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