Only 7% of UNIJOS students have hostel accommodation, VC laments

Tanko Ishaya, the vice chancellor of University of Jos (UNIJOS), has expressed concern over the institution’s inadequate infrastructure, particularly the shortage of hostel accommodations for students.

Ishaya spoke during a courtesy visit from the varsity’s faculty of law 1988 alumni on Saturday.

The VC revealed that out of the 45,000 students, only seven percent have access to on-campus housing.

Ishaya said the university management is exploring public-private partnerships to address the challenge and increase hostel capacity.

”As we speak only seven per cent of our students live within the campus against the global standard of 40 percent,” he said.

”This is due to shortage of hostel accommodation; so over 90 per cent of students live off campus.

”We are making efforts to address this concern through public-private partnership.”

Ishaya also lamented the high cost of electricity on campus, which he said has “risen to over N80 million per month”.

However, he assured that efforts are underway to develop a solar farm, providing a sustainable power solution for the institution and its host community.

On his part, Caleb Mutfwang, governor of Plateau who is an alumnus of UNIJOS, pledged his continued support for the institution.

Represented by Rauta Dakok, former head of service, Mutfwang also commended the school management for maintaining academic standards.

Earlier, Emeka Etieba, the senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and leader of the 1988 faculty of law class, revealed that their visit aimed to identify challenges facing the university and explore potential interventions.