By Abdulrasaq Kamaldeen
Bakasssi Hostel
On one Monday, Abdulrahman Abdulrahim, faced a challenging morning as he prepared to attend his lecture at A’ classes—situated a kilometer away from Bakassi hostel. Despite a rejuvenating rest, fatigue marked his expression as he stood at the crossroads, eagerly awaiting a motorcycle to transport him to class.
However, after an arduous wait of over 30 minutes with no sign of a bike, he embarked on the journey on foot—showing the daily struggles faced by students in navigating campus life.
The 400-level student from the Faculty of Education and Extension Services was exhausted by the time he arrived at the venue, causing him to miss the lecture as the long distance from Bakassi hostel to A’ classes demands considerable energy for commuting.
Bakassi Hostel is a school-owned hostel located beside Prometric at Usmanu Danfodiyo University with over 50 rooms occupying 200 students.
Abdulrahman felt disappointed despite waking up early. He believed that his lateness to class wouldn’t have happened if there were designated motorcycle spots to transport students from the Bakassi hostel to anywhere on campus. The absence of such spots seemed inconvenient for Bakassi hostel residents.
“We are all humans, it’s not comfortable even from the Jubril Aminu hostel down to the school, but it is an extreme part of the campus, it’s not so much of a comfort. We need bike men in Bakassi to take us down to school and If we can have a park there, it will make it easy for us.
“But if we are going to have a park, there is a need to regulate the price that will be taking us, so that they(bike men) will not charge us a total sum of money for the last part of the journey.”
Late Arrival: Students’ Struggle with Distance
Another resident, Alam Orilonye (Not his real name), a 400-level English and Literary Studies student, shared his struggles with the long distances required to attend a lecture
He finds it challenging whenever he has lectured in far-off locations—often leading to late arrivals due to the lack of alternative transportation options.
According to him, almost all his daily lectures are within Classes, PTF and B09.
His words: “Well, I am so used to it, although trekking to the faculty sometimes can be a bit stressful. We don’t mind getting a means of transport due to the distance so we can be able to reach the venue early.
“We are always late to fixed lectures, as there are no urgent means of transportation within Bakassi due to the environment. Most of us tend to trek because before you get a bike you will have to walk to the main road and chances of getting a bike are low, so instead of waiting we opt to trek.”
“Students Should Liaise with CTC”– Dean of Students’ Affairs
In an interview with Professor Aliyu Umar, Dean of Students Affairs, he stated that this could be accomplished if Bakassi students collaborate with the CTC to implement it.
“Yes, it’s possible. Students residing in Bakassi can collaborate with the CTC to facilitate discussions with the motorcycle union riders.”
SU CTC Chairman Reacts
Abdullahi Sanusi, the chairman of the Caretaker Committee, UDUS explained that he has a plan to introduce free buses for the students on campus to ease transportation, including students from Bakassi t reduce their stress
According to him, despite inviting all faculty presidents, none of them honored his invitation.
He said, “Immediately, after l assumed office l called the faculties presidents but they refused to honor my invitation, and the interesting part was that we found somebody who would give us a bus that would carry at least 20 to 30 students, doing his services within the campus, so from Bakassi hostel to classes and from Jibril Aminu hostel to lecture hall.”
“Insha Allah, we will talk to motorcycle union riders to see whether they can do something there, definitely, students will be happy to have such a thing there.”