Angry student unions stage powerful protest over deplorable sanity conditions in hostels

Students of the University of Jos (UniJos) on Thursday staged a peaceful demonstration to protest the deplorable sanitary conditions of their hostels, as well as the non-payment of the salaries of the cleaners for over seven months.

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Eyewitnesses report that as early as 7:00 am, the aggrieved students in their hundreds stormed the main campus of the institution. Wielding placards, they blocked all major entrances into the university campus, which effectively grounded academic and administrative activities.

A student leader who spoke during the protest said the students have vowed to continue the demonstration daily and would not vacate the gates of the institution until the head of the university’s cleaning department provides them with proof that hostel cleaners have been paid.

The student leaders said the protest was sparked by a worsening sanitation crisis as a result of backlog of salaries owed the hostel cleaners, resulting in the suspension of cleaning services.

“The result, as everyone can see, is an environment overflowing with uncollected waste and a soak-away system that has begun seeping into our drinking water supply,” the student leader said.

Speaking in the same vein, another protester said: “The hostels are no longer fit for human habitation. The smell is unbearable, the toilets are clogged, and now our drinking water is contaminated. We cannot live like this.”