The Muffin Man
Some people call it vibe, others call it aura, and the bold ones call it an eyesore.
But no matter the nature or technicality of the diction employed in describing the state of Nnamdi Azikiwe Hall's C block, the understanding on the part of Zikites and non-Zikites is that the block is unsightly. When interviewed by Zikpress, Joshua, a Katangite, described the place as “glaringly unkempt”, while Lolade, an Idia resident, in her own opinion, saw the block as unsafe for human habitation. While these respondents are not occupants of the hall themselves, their impression is borne by regularly passing through the hall on their way to and from class. Even Zikites themselves cannot deny the misery they live in. A Zikite who pleaded anonymity called C block “the trenches”.
The word “trenches” as a military tactic was popularised during World War 1, but unlike during the world war, where the trenches are often found in the front lines, the Zik Hall trenches lie sandwiched between the other blocks in the hall. And while this is not an actual war in the literal sense, C blockites find themselves fighting for the minimum acceptable living standards. Even though it is not unusual for some blocks in halls of residence to be lacking in one area or the other, the overall appearance of C block compared to all the other blocks in the hall exists almost as a sharp contrast. For every one of the flaws that the other blocks have, C block has an almost doubled and significantly emphasised flaw.
Failing Infrastructure
A brief visit to various parts of the block shows how far the facilities have decayed. Starting from the ground floor, the heavy stench from the drainage just outside the reading room can sometimes become too heavy and too unserene for reading. This is, compounded by the recurrent cases of bedbug, which despite various efforts by the hall management and executive council to decimate them, seem to be flourishing.
Still speaking of the drainage, bathroom drains and used water often gets clogged in the drains and over time they begin to stink. And the stink can continue for days and weeks on end. There are even concerns that the plumbing system might be compromised as some have mentioned that even toilet waste water gets into the drainage. But this is not the only problem.
Akinwale, a former C blockite recalls with utmost displeasure what he went through when the light on his floor got spoiled. It took months of tagging people and calling for help before help came. In his words, “ it took no less than 4 months before a repair was instituted.”
For David, the poor facilities are a big issue. “Rain is always entering through the window side, the Louvres are not enough. Constant smoking in the kitchenette.”
This sentiment was also shared by Paul* who called it a horrifying experience. According to him, “The rooms on the bottom floor rarely have stable electricity, it's either low voltage or no power at all. I even lost my charger due to a power surge.”
The Unappealing Aesthetics of a Garbage Dump
At this point, it is common knowledge that one of the leading causes of diseases around the world is a dirty environment. As the saying goes, cleanliness is next to godliness. But godliness is the least of the worries of C block residents as some parts of C block have to deal with having a garbage dump directly in front of their rooms.
The refuse disposal area in front of C block is another area of concern. However, overtime, it overflows and it is only at this point that some of this waste is taken away only for it to fill up again very quickly. It is particularly sad that this occurs very close to where people live.
"No matter how many times the waste management guys come to pack it, the place is always the same. Sometimes it even smells," said Ola.
“I dey suffer for here o” — Pained Zikite
Most of the occupants of C block both current and past that Zik Press reached out to for comments gave mediocre to outright terrible reviews on the state of the block. Ola, a former C blockite, could not hide his dismay.
“It was really a terrible experience, aside from the noise that the rats make on a daily basis, there was an awful smell that came from the window. There were several times that I bought rat poisons just to get rid of them but I realised that the more I buy and use the poison for them— the more they multiply,” he lamented.
He also had to deal with rats. “The rats make noises every night which disturb my sleep after having a long day but what could I have done? I tried my best to get rid of them but I realised that they will still come back because there is a bush behind the room and also there is a sort of opening in the window frame— this made getting rid of them a Herculean task,” he continued.
Moyin, another Zikite, also shared a similar story. In his own case, the window was almost broken entirely. The glass louver frame was superficial and there was no net in the window. He lived in fear of snakes getting in.
“As regards the smell, it was also a terrible experience as well. Oftentimes I would call the floor rep to complain and ask if he could do something about it but he would say there was nothing to do because he was also facing the issue. The gutter behind the window contains diverse things that often breed awful odour and mosquitoes,” Ola concluded.
Rats as big as cats
There have been reports in the past of reptiles like alligators, snakes and monitor lizards being spotted around the block. This situation can be traced to the bushes behind C block. Even though two shops have been set up there, the bushes still remain green and flourishing. Vines and some other plants are even growing on some parts of the block. This is because when the grasses in other parts of the hall are being trimmed, the place is mostly abandoned.
As a result of this, rodents and reptiles inevitably have suitable breeding space. Coupled with the eyesore of a garbage dump in front of C block, they have plenty to eat and lots of space to scamper around. Only that they'd still rather be in the rooms eating their food supplies and posing great health risks to the occupants of these rooms.
“Compared to B59 in my 100-level days, it was a horrifying experience, from rats violating my foodstuffs and belongings to an incompetent flood rep to frequent electrical damage,” Paul continued about the rats.
Dele, another Zikite*, finds the situation with rats in the hall “slightly intriguing”.
“I've seen the rats here, and I've also seen the cats. But the rats have grown so enormous, almost as big as the cats. The cats must have something else in their diet because they don't seem to eat rats; they just walk by them,” he said.
Smoker’s Appeal
Smoking is another critical issue that C-blockites have to put up with. Apparently some unscrupulous individuals who may not exactly be staying on the block go up there to smoke. The kitchenettes, the bathrooms, the storage rooms and the other areas around have been designated unofficial smoking areas. The fact that there is a “No Smoking” warning on the hall rules pasted at the gate of the hall does not seem to bother them, neither does the smoking kills label on the pack of cigarettes. The time of the day does not entirely matter either.
In an interview with Zik Press, the hall chairman, Sotomi Daniel attributed the situation to a lack of direct supervision of the porter's. According to him, A block residents are closer to the porter's lodge so they record fewer cases of misdemeanors; B block residents are close to the supervisors and the hall warden's offices so they are also well monitored. But the fact that C Block is far from the porter's and supervisors have given the residents of the block some level of leeway.
This is a perspective also shared by David, a Zikite from the faculty of education. For him, “C block is another world of it own, it is smelly den of smokers and it is the block with one of the poorest facilities in the hostel [because] C Block is on the outskirts of zik hall, and sometimes you might not be aware of the activities going on in the hall.”
And this in a way breeds fear in some Zikites as they do not know who is who. A respondent who pleaded anonymity stated he tries to ignore it as the smoking does not directly affect him. In his words, “if the person is as brazen as freely smoking in the hall, who knows what he could know if he's challenged.”
“We will try to follow up on it” — Zik Hall Chair, Sotomi
In order to have a balanced view of the total issues and the work that is being done to combat these issues, Zik Press reached out to the hall chairperson, Sotomi Daniel. Sotomi revealed that a visit to the hall warden to complain about these issues revealed that the school management currently has plans to renovate all halls of residence.
He further revealed that signs and notices will soon be posted to C block to discourage some of the negative behaviours like pouring water and smoking. He also stated that the judicial council and the Attorney general will be in charge of prosecuting offenders.
He also mentioned the NEEDs document which was prepared by the Fabiyi-led administration, stating that his administration will build up on that momentum.
“We will try to follow up on it,” he said
A Cry For Help
Even with their best efforts, however, there's little hope that the Sotomi Daniel-led Team Effulgence administration can turn up any change even if it tries. The Fabiyi Damilare-led administration which went before it is renowned for attempting to liaise with the school management, hall management and the alumni. They even created a needs document highlighting the pressing needs of the hall to serve as a blueprint for future projects. But even that barely yielded much. The few changes that came of their efforts were cosmetic, for the most part.
This is further proof of the fact that the students can not effect much change on their own. The hall needs a high level of infrastructural renovation and rebuild, and the pennies that the student associations raise will not make a dent. And in this case, C block is only a point of contact for all the other issues affecting the hall.
The amount of capital it needs can only be provided by the school and alumni bodies who have thus far been mostly unresponsive.
In the meantime, the citizens living in the trenches continue to struggle.
