Public Toilets in University of Calabar were closed down because the staff
working in them were removed by the management.The students are lamenting over closed public toilets and want the
management to re-open them.
Toilet is one of the most
essential public amenities in every society. Apart from the regular toilets
installed in the rooms and compounds, individuals, cooperate organizations as
well as the government construct toilets in public places like markets and
motor parks for the general public’s use.
Public toilets are remedial in
some situations. Their importance is most significant when one is depressed by
faeces and looking for a place to ease oneself. They save some folks from
embarrassments.
Unical is one of the schools with
many toilets. Apart from the toilets in the school hostels, some classrooms and
offices, there are equally other toilets meant for public use. These public
toilets are located at various places with staff deployed into them to make
sure that they are properly cleaned up.
When Prof. James Epoke became the
VC of Unical, he refurbished the public toilets to standard with ultra modern
toilet facilities, cisterns, sinks and Geepee thanks to supply water steadily.
Also, some of the toilet buildings with bad infrastructural facilities were
equally refurbished.
Public toilets in Unical are very
important to students, especially female students. Charity Enung told
Campuslife that each time the hostel toilet gets messy, she makes use of the
public toilet. “There are times when the female students will mess up the
hostel toilets so much. I hate using dirty toilets. Sometimes, the Non Academic
Staff Union (NASU), will go on strike and no body will be around to clean the
hostel toilets so it gets dirty. What I will do is to go to the public
toilets”.
But since 29th February, 2015
public toilets in Unical have been closed. Students who usually hoped on using
the public toilets have been severally frustrated. One of them is Etido John, a
200 level student in Faculty of Management Science. He said “the other day I
was heavily pressed. I came down to the school to use the public toilets but I
was frustrated because all the toilets were locked. I went to the hostel and
pleaded with one of the male students and he allowed me to use his toilet. I
was embarrassed.
A 300 level student of History
and International Studies, Cynthia Ando told CL Media that “it is very
frustrating to come to school and be looking out for where to ease oneself. The
public toilets are locked. Those in the hostel can easily go down to the hostel
and ease themselves, what about those that reside off camp?
But, students that usually use
the school classrooms for night class reading would not care if the toilets
were closed down. To them, the area around the classroom can make a good
toilet. They urinate at any available space they can locate. CL Media was
shown a place which was flooded by urine. Students who use the New Art Theatre
for night classes were accused of urinating along that area.
Students in Social Science block
would not wait till the toilets are reopened before they start urinating. They
made use of the area behind Department of Public Administration to urinate both
in the day and night hours.
Students in the New Library and
students in Natural Science Lecture Theatre (NSLT) would not equally wait for
the toilets to be re-opened before they zip-down to ‘pee’. They urinate at hidden corners behind NSLT 1,2,3 and 4.
What about students that make use
of the Unical Abraham Ordia Stadium? Micheal Ejiofor, one of the sportsmen told
our reporter that “since the toilets here are not open, we pee anywhere around in the field.
One of the cleaners complained to
CL Media of the students’ misbehaviour. When our reporter met with Florence, a
cleaner, she was sweeping the BPA hall located at Political Science Department.
She said: “These students should know that some of us are old enough to be
their parents. Why should they be urinating anywhere they see? The other day I
picked up a sanitary pad with blood along the corridor. I know it was a girl
that used it when she came for night class and left it there.
CL Media was informed that the
reason for the closure of public toilets was because the staff who usually
worked in the toilets have been sacked.
Mrs. Idiongesit is one of them.
She said, “We were sacked since February. The school told us to stop working
with them since February. That was why we stopped working. They said they don’t
want us again that they want to employ full staff. They asked us to go and you
know it is not their fault neither is it ours”.
One of the toilet staff who works
at Political Science toilet spoke to CL Media in anonymity. She said:
“Initially we were working as part time staff before the school said they don’t
want part time workers any longer. They asked us to go. But I am happy they
have called us back. Some of us are back now and we have been fully employed as
full time staff. Some of us are not yet back”.
Is there any challenge in public
toilets? Margaret, one of the staff told CL Media that “when we left, some
students broke into our toilets and were shiting
in it till it became very full. We cannot flush it again because it is blocked
inside. The students were using ordinary paper and carton paper in the toilets.
I don’t know why some students will be so heartless. I have reported to the
authority so that they will come and excavate it.
One of the staff in Political
Science toilets told our reporter that when they were not around, students
broke the toilet seat. Pointing at one of the toilets, she said: “This toilet
seat was not like this before we left. Now we have come back to see the seats
broken. I know it is the handwork of the students who were shiting on it. The door was locked when we left, now the door has
been broken and there is shit
everywhere. I want the school management to come and fix the toilet facilities.
One of the staff who gave her
name as Mrs. Adams said she was owed 10 months salary before she was dismissed.
“While we were working as part time staff, we were owed for 10 months. Please I
beg the people in charge to pay us. They said they will pay us but we are still
waiting for them”.
While few of the toilets have
re-opened lot more are yet to re-open. When our correspondent visited the
toilets between Pavilion 2 and Pavilion 3, the burglary was tightly locked.
What has the management to say?
Mr. Effiong Eyo Bassey is the Information Officer of Unical. He said, “It is
true that the public toilets have been locked. I am aware of that. The cleaners
who were initially in charge of the toilets were working on part time.
Mr. Eyo continued, “You see, when
we employed them, we made it known to them that they were working on part time
basis. So it is not something new to them. Now, we are engaging them as full
time staff. Their outstanding salaries will be paid to them. It is a matter of
time”, he concluded.
Use of public toilets is not free
in Unical. To urinate, users will pay N20. To excrete, users will pay N50. One
of the cleaners who spoke to our correspondent said the reason for the charge
was because the money was needed to fetch water when there is no water in the
tank. She spoke in anonymity. “You know, we don’t make money from this place.
But we have to fetch water. We have to transport ourselves from house to school
every day. This is my business and the school does not pay me when they are
supposed to pay. I have children. I have a family”.
Now that the staff will be
engaged as full time staff, they will be salaried like staff of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria. CL Media gathered that as part time staff, the cleaners
were paid N10,000 monthly. Then, students had to pay to use the toilets.
But the students want the
management to make the public toilets free of charge for the students. Nkeji
Obiora, 300 level Education Administration and Planning told CL Media: “The
toilets should be free for the students. I don’t know why they will be
collecting money from us. It is in our school fees. The Management should make
the toilets free of charge. Those women in the toilets are exploiting us.
To Nathaniel Bamidele in Faculty
of Agriculture, “the students should not pay to use the toilets. The lecturers
and other visitors in the school should be paying to use the toilets and not
the students.
But Mrs. Hope said the money
collected does not go to the school management. We use it to fetch water, buy
brooms, tissue and soap for the people to wash their hands”, she concluded.
15:01
Emmanuel Shebbs
