In Ekiti, students, lecturers groan over high cost of living

Students and lecturers of tertiary institutions in Ekiti State have bemoaned the economic hardship in Nigeria.

They said the hardship, primarily occasioned by fuel subsidy removal by President Bola Tinubu on his assumption of office, has affected their academics negatively.

According to the students, many living off-campus trek long distances to get to school because they cannot afford transport fares.

Some miss or skip lectures often due to late arrival or abstention because they cannot afford transport to and from campus.

Some of them who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES also said they were from average and low-income families, and their parents were finding it difficult to fund their education.

Solomon Eromosele, a 400-level student of Federal University, Oye Ekiti (FUOYE), expressed fear that the situation may affect his learning and grades.

“I face transportation challenges, causing me to arrive late or miss school, and this will ultimately affect my academic performance and overall learning experience if things continue this way.

“I don’t have rich parents who could shoulder the huge cost of feeding, transportation and school fees. I trek several kilometres from Ikole Ekiti to the campus and back every day I have lectures to reduce costs,” Mr Eromosele lamented.

The story is not different for Mary Orjioke, an HND student of the Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti.

Ms Orjioke believes only a few students can afford the current cost of transportation.

“I used to spend N600 to and from campus, but now the fare has more than doubled. I have to skip lunch every day because I can’t afford the food being sold to us on campus,” she said.

Helen Joseph, another student of FUOYE, also struggles to maintain regular lecture attendance and scheduled assignments.

She said her parents are civil servants who are training three university students, bemoaning that their salaries cannot fund the children’s education.

“My brothers and I are finding it very tough,” she added.

The indiscriminate increase in the cost of foodstuffs and transportation in the country is equally affecting the budget made by Mary-Cynthia Chimuanya’s parents for food, reading materials and transport fare.

However, according to the FUOYE student, she cannot return to her parents because she understands they have tried their best. With a resolve not to follow the dirty path some female students take to make extra income, she declared that she was at her wits’ end.

Joy Oluga from the Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti (EKSU), echoed the views of the students from other tertiary institutions in the state.

She told PREMIUM TIMES that the current situation could potentially disrupt academic activities if the government does not bring down the cost of living.

“Many of us are living from hand to mouth. I barely eat twice a day, and the cost of transportation from Ado-Ekiti to the campus is becoming unbearable. I am contemplating doing menial jobs if it won’t affect my study,” she said.

Olusegun Israel, another FUOYE student, said there is anxiety among students struggling to feed.

He said if nothing was done to ameliorate the suffering, it could reduce focus and concentration in school work and activities.

The Special Adviser on Special Duties to the Vice Chancellor of FUOYE, Adebola Aderibigbe, on his part, said in a university like FUOYE, where the children of the poor are in good numbers, the high cost of living impacts heavily on the students in many ways, including on feeding.

“These students spend heavily on accessing commercial cabs and motorcycles, which have increased their fares significantly. This automatically depletes their pocket money for food,” he said.

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A lecturer at the university, who is also the special Adviser on Media to the VC, Wole Balogun, said both the students and lecturers were feeling the pain.

He noted that though the university authorities tried to cushion the pains by providing subsidised transportation systems, the gesture has only helped in a small way.

He stressed that feeding poses a huge challenge and seriously affects teaching and learning.

However, the students said that they were sceptical about the federal government’s student loans, urging the government to urgently tackle inflation and reduce the prices of goods and services.