UDUS Students in Private Apartments To Pay Fifty Percent Of Their New Rent

On Thursday the 21st of January, the management of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto reached an agreement with the landlords of the private apartments on the campus that students dwelling in the private apartments should enjoy half of their new house rent.

Recall that students of all institutions across the country have been at home for the past ten months, partly because of the COVID-19 outbreak and the industrial action embarked on by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). These have denied the right to rent enjoyment to many Nigerian students who live in private apartments.

ASUU strike being suspended, with the hope of resuming soon, this reporter was able to make it feasible to the UDUS management,  the plights of her students in private apartments who started to reel out their ordeals, as they question what their fates would be when they resume and their landlords demand another payment without enjoying the previous payment.

As previously reported, the Dean Student Affairs Prof. Aminu Muhammad Mode and the Students’ Union President, Faruku Barade Wamakko listened to the plights of the affected students and promised to meet with the landlords.

Barade said, “I’m planning to meet the school management, to discuss the issue of our students in the private hostels. The students should not have it in mind that they won’t pay any dime if they resume. They should be ready to pay at least half of their rent if the landlords request and we will make sure that we try our possible best to discuss with the landlords too, to consider our mates in their apartments.” 

Prof. Mode, on the other hand, replied this reporter, “With this information I’m getting from you (directly telling this reporter), I will make sure I make my findings make the school meet with the landlords if they will cooperate, for the betterment of our students in the villages before I make it official.”

However, the meeting between the school management and the landlords which was scheduled for Thursday 21st January 2020 had in attendance, some of the school management staff, the Students’ Union President, Comrade Faruku Barade Wamakko and the landlords of the apartments and started at  3:00 PM.  

At the meeting, the Students’ Union President, Faruku Barade pleaded on behalf, not the students that another rent should not be paid by them at all since they didn’t enjoy the rent which the landlords refused.

He further pleaded that the students should pay half of their rent and the landlords kept mum until the end of the meeting.

In the end, the landlords accepted the plea and concluded that students in their apartments should pay half of their new rent.

While interviewed, the Students’ Union President, Faruku Barade said that the school management has reached an agreement with the landlords and they have come to the conclusion that students should pay half of their new house rent.

“The meeting between the management, the Students’ Union and the Dean Student Affairs with the landlords of private hostels has come to an end. ‘Alhamdulillah’, we tried all our best and we came to the conclusion that students are to pay fifty per cent of what they used to pay.

“For example, if you have been paying 50 thousand naira house rent before, be ready to pay Twenty-Five Thousand Naira this time around, for the whole session,” Barade said.

He, therefore, urged all students to abide by the COVID-19 regulations as they are returning to the campus, and he lastly wished all Danfodites safe journey from their various destinations to the school campuses.

He continued, “Lastly, I will advise each and every student to abide by the COVID-19 regulations as they are returning to the campus and make sure they don’t breach any of them.

“I wish all our students a safe journey to Sokoto from their various destinations.”