By Shereefdeen Ahmad
It was 1:15 pm on Monday. Students of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto reading inside Abdullahi Fodio Library(the school main library) rushed out and headed to perform ablution at the back of the building, where a mosque is located.
Due to the limited number of plastic kettles, Musa Hakim (not a real name) waited for his friend to complete performing ablution. As a common practice by muslims to purify themselves before prayers, Hakim later got the plastic kettle and walked down the path leading to the toilet attached to the perimeter fence of the library nearby the mosque.
He wanted to empty his bladder, but shockingly, Hakim did not enter the toilet, instead; he went beside the toilet.
Meanwhile, down the perimeter fence beside the toilet where Hakim went to empty his bladder, there placed a black small signpost with the inscription boldly written: “Warning, Do Not Urinate.”
After he was done, this reporter approached Hakim to talk to him. Immediately he realized that the topic was about “urinating”. Hakim started begging for pardon, perhaps thinking that I was a library staff member.
“I’m sorry that I had to urinate there,” he said.“Yes, I saw the sign cautioning people not to urinate there, but the toilet is not comfortable for usage at all. That was why I had to branch there to ease myself.”
Despite this signpost meant to prevent people from urinating in the area, many students like Hakim would turn a blind eye to this sanitation warning and would always prefer to use the spot beside the toilet to empty their bladders before prayers. According to most of the students, the reason is not far away from the messy condition of the toilet.
“But even at that, studentship plus Nigerian mentality would still push many people to urinate at the place, despite the clearly stated warning,” a member of the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria(MSSN) UDUS Chapter, who begged for anonymity, said.
Absence of Punishment Drives the Act
Speaking with the Chairman of the Caretaker Committee for Students’ Union, Mohammed Shamshudeen Umar stated that the union would try to reach out to the library management to look into the matter.
“The Union would talk to the library management to see how the act can be controlled. If there’s a need to get more workers managing the toilet we will try and see to that.”
However, the chairman believed the condition of the toilets was not enough to warrant them violating the warning.
“There are procedures to follow if the students notice such a thing. They can reach out to the SU in order to inform them about the incident, then the Union can take over the issue instead of them breaking the rule.”
“If there were punishments prescribed for any person who violates the regulation, the act would not have persisted,” the Chairman added.
We Will Take Measures
In an interview with the Registrar of the Library, represented by Mallam Idris Yahaya said the management would take measures to curtain the act, which includes taking care of the toilets.
“I will discuss with the people in charge and we will take measures regarding that.”
“The mosque committee was also here, and Inshallah, we would take care of it,” he added.