By Abdullateef Abdullahi
Four weeks after The News Digest Press publication, noting the lack of doors in the Block C hostel bathrooms at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, significant improvements have been observed.
Recalling, The News Digest Press published an editorial titled “Of the 24/7 Hostel Bathrooms without Secret” on March 27, 2024— drawing attention to the absence of doors in several bathrooms within the block.
The reporter gathered that only one bathroom on the ground floor had a door, while four others did not.
This situation led to inconveniences for students, like Ahmad Kabir, a 100-level radiography student, who often had to go to another block to shower due to the lack of privacy and security in his block’s bathrooms.
Ahmad Kabir expressed his relief after the renovation, saying, “I no longer face the stress of leaving my block to find a bathroom with doors. Every bathroom on the ground floor now has functional doors.”
Renovation Background
The renovation not only addressed privacy but also saved time. Muhammad Muhammad Alhaji, another 100-level Radiography student, shared how the renovated bathrooms saved him time.
Previously, he had to queue before taking a bath, either upstairs or in other blocks, due to the lack of doors and privacy concerns.
“My time is now saved,” Muhammad Muhammad Alhaji remarked. “Before, it was difficult to find a convenient time to shower. The queues were long, especially since many students from our block had to go elsewhere for privacy.”
Relief, Comfort
Steven Michael, a 200-level Physics student, reminisced about the challenges faced before the bathroom renovation.
He noted incidents where students would mistakenly walk in on others during their bath times due to inadequate privacy measures.
“At times I will need to hide in a corner while taking my bath because some people mistakenly used to enter not knowing that someone was inside already,” said Steven.
Hayatullah Andulhamid, another 200-level student from the Physics department, also revealed that the lack of privacy previously led to missed lectures, as he often had to wait for a vacant bathroom with a door before he could comfortably bathe.
However, with the recent renovations, Hayatullah expressed his excitement, saying, ” Now, I am very excited with the improvement.”
The positive changes were not limited to Block C’s Physics students. Sodeeq Garba, a 100-level student of Physiotherapy, shared his experiences pre-renovation.
He told this reporter that he used to take his bath early before Subhi prayer and hide during afternoon showers.
“Before, I used to bathe early before Subhi prayer so that no one would see me but now Alhamdulilah,” Sodeeq remarked.