- UNN Zik’s flats in total dilapidation
- Stakeholders express concerns over the ugly development
- Experts blame emergence of private hostels on accommodation challenges
In the premises of first indigenous university in Nigeria, University of Nigeria Nsukka UNN are humongous edifices depreciating and gradually on ruins.
Nnamdi Azikiwe flats, Zik’s flats for short, has become a source of an eyesore and economic waste to the University in recent times as a result of its dilapidated state.
Zik’s Flats is an estate of 20 storey buildings and 12 bungalows used as hostels by the Nsukka Campus of the university for its students for over three decades but got dilapidated in the last ten years due to abandonment and neglect.
However, when WITHIN NIGERIA visited the flat, there was a tale of neglect, dilapidation, eyesore written all over the buildings as almost all the glass windows have been shattered.
The flats were also taken over by grasses, shrubs and even trees as many not-so-good guys were also seen, indulging in some illicit activities inside and around the flats.
History of the Zik’s flats
In the early 80s the flats provided a big housing relief to hundreds of the University students who are mostly new in the Ivory tower.
However, WITHIN NIGERIA gathered that the estate was owned by Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, the founder of the University who later, before his death, handed it over to the management of the country’s premier university as part of his social welfare contributions to the institution.
The main purpose of the asset was equally to help the university to reduce the effects of accommodation problems experienced by the university as a result of its growing population.
By and large, the structure was well-built duplexes of two-storey and bungalows with about 700 hostel-size rooms.
It also has over 3,000-bed spaces, expansive playgrounds, a line of dozens of stores, a car park and a cafeteria with many restaurants.
As a matter of fact, Zik’s Flats was definitely the most beautiful and exciting hostel to live in the early 80s in the University of Nigeria Nsukka.
Apart from its architectural masterpiece, the hostels also shared a perimeter fence with the Great Zik’s Onuiyi Haven, where the family of the country’s first President currently live in.
WITHIN NIGERIA learnt that this and many other reasons were the reasons Zik’s Flats became the exclusive residential hall for first-year students as it was meant to a kind of introduce them to the school system and enable them to adapt to studying before being sent into the main campus.
How the dilapidation set in
The dilapidation of Zik’s flat, UNN is an ugly situation that has left many stakeholders education wondering what could have led to this sorry state of one of the legacies of the first Nigerian President, Nnamdi Azikiwe.
In any case, for more than a decade now, the estate has been left abandoned and virtually taken over by grasses, trees and dangerous reptiles.
This to say the least has equally become threats to surrounding buildings, especially that of the family of the late Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe and other neighborhood, majority of whom are students living in off campus of the University.
With a 40, 000-student population and with an annual intake of about 10,000 students, WITHIN NIGERIA investigation revealed that the existing 17 halls of residence in the Nsukka Campus of the university have a total bed space that is less than 8,000.
Therefore, it remains a puzzle yet to be unravelled as to why such estate should be left in total neglect and ruins.
One still wonders why such edifice which hitherto provided shelter for a teeming number of students, and housed dozens of business centres, as the buildings now stand desolate and abandoned.
Why the abandonment
For over a decade now since the abandonment of the hostel, many people and even the stakeholders have continued to adduce reasons for this ugly development.
However, needless to say that with high population growth of the students, University of Nigeria, Nsukka campus badly needs such facility to ameliorate to accommodation problems in the campus.
In the University town, comprising of Nru, Orba, Ihe/Owerre, Obukpa and Onuiyi communities, hostel facility is like an oil well to the owner.
This perhaps, explains why private hostel businesses are thriving more in Nsukka Town with each room going for a minimum of N150, 000 as against N12, 000 paid for a bed space in the university by students.
Nevertheless, in spite of this huge amount, coupled with the prevailing economic situation, it has been suspected that many staff of the University may not want the rehabilitation of the Zik’s flats especially when some of them and top officials of the management present and past are alleged to be secretly building private hostels and consequently allowing the school hostels to deteriorate.
For instance, checks by our reporter showed that before he left office in June 2019, the immediate past Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Prof. Benjamin Chukwuma Ozumba, inaugurated the construction of a modern hostel complex on a Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) Model. The hostel complex which promised to be a new model of hostel accommodation in the country was to replace the old dilapidated Ziks Flats. Unfortunately, our investigation revealed that till this moment, the project never saw the light of the day.
Stakeholders express concerns
Since the dilapidation crept in, stakeholders in the Ivory Tower have continued to express their concern over the sorry state of the flats.
Nevertheless, many of whom are equally worried that at a time when many students are facing accommodation challenges with its concomitant health consequences, the university only thought it wise to leave Zik’s Flats to deteriorate and waste away.
Speaking to our reporter, one of the former students of the University, Dr. Chineke Ani Eze explained that it is an eyesore to behold such edifice going into determination.
According to Dr. Eze who did his first, second and third degree in the department of Public Administration, UNN and lived few metres away from the flat, said ” it is very unfortunate that the University could leave such structure to waste away when the University is in dire of accommodation for her increasingly teeming population.
“What does it take the University to renovate this hostel? But, whatever it will take to put back the flat on good shape, it is worth the expenditure.
“Remember we talking about enduring legacy here. Even in our local level, if your father bequeaths a house to you, no matter rich you eventually become, you can never allow such bequeathed house to deteriorate. That is our culture and that is how it is supposed to be.”
Another former student, Dr. John Ugwuh said the situation is very much appalling.
Ugwuh, who disclosed that he once lived in the hostel, said it was unbelievable that a university that was in a constant shortfall for students’ accommodation would allow the place to remain desolate.
In his words, “it beats my imagination why a university such as the great UNN should allow these structures to be in this current state with no student living there in the past seven years,” he said.
He stated, however, that the only possible reason Zik’s Flats and other hostels in the university were “being allowed to rot away,” was to allow private hostel owners, most of who are members of the university staff, to make heavy returns on their investments.
“Apart from the rumours we have heard, I know that members of the university management and most members of staff of the university have numerous hostels within Nsukka Town. These hostels charge between N150, 000 and N250, 000 per annum for a room. Do a comparison with what each student pays for a bed space in school hostels.
“And to think that most of the Vice-Chancellors in recent times, including the current V-C, Prof. Igwe, were occupants of Zik’s Flats makes the rumours strongly believable. So, I think it’s a deliberate policy of making the private hostel owners have good returns on their investments that led to the abandonment of Zik’s Flats and other hostels by successive administrations in the university. If not, just tell me what else could have inhibited the V-C from rebuilding the place he once lived as a student.
“The situation is equally affecting other hostels in the university. You must have heard about the disturbing state of hostels within the campus. This is part of the strategy to force students to live in private hostels,” Ugwuh said.
How profitable is renovating Zik’s Flats?
In the face of growing concern over the dilapidation of the flats, some economists have continued to argue the economic benefits of its renovation.
In any case a senior member of staff of the university, who spoke to WITHIN NIGERIA under anonymity revealed that the renovation will gulp at least N8b.
According to the staff, this would surely cost the university more than what it could earn in 20 years.
Exaining further, the staff stated that ” remember it is housing project we are talking about here.
You should know that rebuilding Zik’s Flats alone will gulp more than N8 billion and after that, you begin to charge N12, 000 or N15, 000 accommodation fees per session. We have not even talked about maintaining the hostel itself which costs the university almost N100 million per session.
“Also remember that the university will pay for the costs of providing electricity, water, internet services, security, sewage maintenance, repairs and cleaning.
“When all these into consideration, I think this is one of the frightening reasons successive administrations, including the current administration of the University led by Prof. Charles Igwe, the Vice-Chancellor, have looked away from rebuilding Zik’s Flats.”
In any case, all efforts to get the reaction of the university’s spokesman, Dr Okwun Omeaku on the matter proved abortive.
Omeaku rather told our correspondent that he was not competent enough to talk about the issue, adding that it was only the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) that had the authority to speak to the press on the matter.
Also when WITHIN NIGERIA reporter visited Prof. Uche Azikiwe, wife of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe for her reactions, she was available for comments.