Unilorin: Where Night is Light

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or many Nigerians, darkness at night is a rule rather than an exemption. The compelling reality of the prevalence of darkness in many parts of the country and the ineptness of the organs charged with that responsibility have made people say NEPA means Never Expect Power Always while PHCN actually stands for Please Hold Candle at Night.

This experience is however different at the University of Ilorin where through various strategies put in place by the University management, light is always available. For the University Staff Quarters, though light is available at home but the main road and the adjoining streets used to be dark. That has also become history with the intervention of the University of Ilorin management.

To another resident, who is the Chairman of Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Unilorin Chapter, Mr. Monsur A. Alfanla, the University management deserves commendation. This he said, is deservedly so, because without prompting, the University has done what has impacted on the residents. “We have to commend the management on this initiative they have taken. The same way we have to complain when they don’t do what is right; justice and objectivity demand we commend them when they do it right and sincerely, they have been doing it right all this while ”, he said.

A lecturer in the Department of Sociology, Mr. Ridwan Yousouph, observed that it was a good development that management is prioritising the improvement of the infrastructure in the University. He said for many residents like him, the torchlight was an indispensable companion while walking at night or when going to pray at dawn. He said no one needs any torchlight again with the light that has made the University at night appear like a mini-London.

In her own view, Mrs. Omolola K. Omeiza said that the illumination of the streets is appreciatively welcomed. According to the Quarters resident, a staff member of Bursary Department, “the development makes you feel safe and assured that no one is lurking or hiding in the dark. Now, even if you drop a pin you can see it and it was not like that in the past. This shows that the administration is efficient.”