By: Abdulrasaq Kamaldeen
The occupants of Jubril Aminu and neighboring hostels at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto have long grappled with the challenges of unstable water supply. The situation, however, improved with the recent implementation of the project by the Students’ Union Caretaker Committee, easing the water scarcity that students had been facing.
For students like Jimoh Hussain, a 400-level Public Administration student residing in Block E of Jubril Aminu Hostel, the daily battle for adequate water had become a grueling Challenge. Beyond affecting hygiene routines, the scarcity had escalated into a dispute among students competing for limited water resources.
Jimoh narrated the arduous journey students underwent to secure water, often resorting to fetching from other blocks. Even when their tank had water, its discoloration rendered it undrinkable—compounding the woes faced by the majority of students.
“I faced a lot of challenges due to the lack of adequate water in our hostel. The water from our tank is not drinkable, so I have to trek down to another block that has clean and available water.”
“We always go to the reservoir before we can get water to wash our clothes”, he added.
SU-CTC Transforms Challenges into Solution
Responding to the distress signals from students facing intermittent water supply, the Students’ Union Caretaker Committee took decisive action. Abdullahi Sanusi, the end chairman of the SU CTC and a 500-level law student, emphasized that unstable water supply was a major plight for students, catalyzing the comprehensive project.
The male hostels that benefited from the project are Block A, C, E, and Zoo Block of Jubril Aminu hostel. While Kano, Zamfara, IA, IB, and IC claimed the beneficiary among the female hostels.
Speaking with The News Digest Press, Comrade Abdullahi Sanusi affirmed the project’s focus on alleviating water-related challenges, stating, “Water is a major problem to those hostels.”
“ We bought three 3000-litre tanks. One for each Block A, C, and E of the hostels. We equally installed one at the Zoo Block because there was no tank in the hostel before now. And we added one tank to each IA, IB, and IC Blocks of the female hostels,” noted Abdullahi
“More than 40 new taps were installed in both male and female hostels. Additionally, we bought two new water pumping machines and repaired three at Zamfara, Kano, IA, IB, and IC Blocks.”
Results Spark Joy
Oyewole Kehinde Nafisat, a 300-level Primary Education student residing in IC Block, expressed elation after the restoration of water.
Oyewole emphasized the positive development—including the covered and tied reservoirs that enhanced water usability for cooking.
Her words: “The restoration is a very good development. It makes us have stable water. Our reservoir was also covered and tied so that the water will be useful for cooking.”
“They even installed a plumbing machine to the reservoir, so that whenever there is no light, we will be able to have access to the water.”
Zakariyah Kabirat, a 300-level History student and an occupant of IA Block echoed the sentiment of happiness and relief.
According to her, the completion of the projects not only provided more water for various needs but also reduced misunderstandings and disputes among students.
“I’m very happy about the restoration. Initially, the number of students was much greater than the water. This naturally causes misunderstanding between us, which sometimes leads to disputes.”