鈥淚 have two businesses but neither of the businesses is making much money at the moment鈥�

鈥� *Chidinma, 22

Studied: English (Literature major), Babcock University 

I graduated in June 2020, and my life has been a mess since then. I was excited about graduating; I couldn鈥檛 wait to be done with school. I didn鈥檛 exactly have high expectations for life after school: I wanted to get an internship at a media house, I wanted to go for NYSC and then come back and continue working at a media house. I wanted to earn real money, take care of my family and live the baby girl life. What a joke. 

A managing director of a popular media house in Nigeria promised me an internship once I graduated, only for him to ghost me. That was one of the first ways that life showed me pepper. After many interviews, I finally got a job in October 2020, but unfortunately, I ended up having the worst boss ever. He鈥檇 ask me to do ridiculous tasks that had nothing to do with my job description. I swept office and got sent to buy food. The last straw was when he asked some of my colleagues and me to close the office for the day and come over to his house to clean it. 

After that, I got a teaching job at a school, but the school owed salaries month after month and they also treated staff terribly, so I left. I decided to go the entrepreneur way. 

I now have two businesses, but neither of the businesses is making much money at the moment, but I鈥檓 pushing through. I鈥檓 starting my NYSC with the next batch that鈥檚 coming up in July 2022. After my service year, I want to either leave this country or marry a rich man, because a girl is tired.听

RELATED: 5 Fears a Lot of Nigerian Students Have About Graduating From University

听

鈥淲hy does all my money go into buying essentials I need to survive?鈥�

鈥�*Tolu, 22

Studied: Psychology, Covenant University 

I was done with school in November 2020, but because of COVID, I officially graduated in May 2021. Schooling during the pandemic wasn鈥檛 easy, and I was tired. I couldn鈥檛 wait to be done with school. 

In my third year at university, I had already started thinking about life after graduation. I knew I would have to do NYSC before getting a full-time job, so I planned to take courses related to my field and learn some new skills while serving. I started NYSC in May 2021 in Akwa Ibom, and I got a job in June at a psychiatric home. I was happy when I got the job because I wanted to work in a place that would allow me practise psychology, but honestly, it鈥檚 been tough. 

I knew leaving school, working and adulting wouldn鈥檛 be easy and I had mentally prepared myself for it, but the fact that I鈥檓 working and most of my money goes into buying essentials I need to survive is the ghetto. I want to use my money for enjoyment. I knew I鈥檇 be responsible for myself, but nobody ever tells you that it鈥檇 be this difficult. 

I鈥檓 finishing my NYSC this April. I plan to get a virtual assistant job for about six months while I take a course about mental health. Then, at some point, I want to start applying for jobs. I鈥檓 looking at jobs in a clinic or HR firm. Hopefully, it works out.

 ALSO READ: 17 Things That Accurately Describe Life Just After Graduating From University

鈥淎part from the money, I get the chance to live my life beyond the walls of a single place.鈥�

鈥擬oses, 26

Studied: Mechanical Engineering, Lagos State Polytechnic 

 I graduated with one of the highest grades in my class. I was optimistic about life after graduation, but not too optimistic as the degree I hold is a Higher National Diploma (HND). Do you know how hard it is to get a job as an HND holder without NYSC?

I couldn鈥檛 wait to graduate, especially because I was schooling and working a part-time job at the same time. I was excited to leave the stress of school behind and focus solely on working and earning proper money. 

Thankfully, I didn’t really have to look for a job. A friend that worked in an oil and gas firm in Edo state called me in April 2021 to send my CV, and that鈥檚 how I started working in June. I haven鈥檛 done NYSC because I never liked the idea of going off for one year and then coming back to begin job hunting. I’ve always planned to get a job first and then serve so that I don’t have to look for work for too long once I’m done.

So far, I like working and I like the world outside of school. I miss school sometimes, and school had its fun moments, but school gets boring. You see the same old faces, have classes, and it鈥檚 all just the same cycle at some point. 

But in the outside world, you meet different people, and so you have so many different experiences. Apart from the money, you get the chance to live your life beyond the walls of a single place.

鈥淚 think the wildest thing about adulting and work-life for me so far is how cynical and unhappy I’ve become.鈥�

鈥� *Chibuike, 22

Studied: Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Covenant University

I had very high expectations for life after graduation. I expected to get a job immediately after graduation and to be earning 鈧�500,000 before the end of 2021. I also expected to work remotely. I didn鈥檛 want to deal with the ghetto that鈥檚 traffic and didn鈥檛 want any anxiousness over lateness. Plus, I wanted to be very flexible with work, to do things on my own time. In summary, I expected my work life to be very soft. 

My work life is anything but soft. I have the flexibility I want, but everything else is stressful and I鈥檓 struggling. NYSC is one of the things that鈥檚 making my life a living hell. Ever since my relocation from Benue to Lagos didn鈥檛 work, I鈥檝e been suffering. 

I think the wildest thing about adulting and work-life for me so far is how cynical and unhappy I’ve become. I feel like a shell of my former self. I just get through each day after the next. Even things I used to enjoy feel stressful now. I have a Netflix subscription, but I haven’t watched a single show in months because I’m either working or sleeping or fighting for my life in Nigeria.

I鈥檒l be done with NYSC in a few weeks, and I’ll be moving back into my parents’ house. This should give me some peace of mind. Maybe I’ll be able to plan my life and my time better when I’m not worrying about a thousand things.

听ALSO READ: 10 Things to Do With Your Life Immediately After Uni

Earlier this year, I had a conversation with a student of Covenant University, and he talked about how tedious the school policies are and his run-in with the school management. One take-away from that conversation was that it is almost impossible to avoid getting into some sort of trouble if you study at the school. So, for this episode of Aluta and Chill, I spoke to a couple of current and past students and get them to talk about a time they had a run-in with members of the school management.听

This was originally published in 2020.

Beatrice – I got in trouble because my friend’s button was undone.

We had just finished service at the chapel and I was walking to a class with a friend. We ran into the dean, but I didn鈥檛 think I had anything to worry about. I was dressed in appropriate clothes and buttoned up to the neck, so I was good with the dress code. But I think one of my friend鈥檚 buttons was undone and the Dean doesn鈥檛 miss such things. Then I heard his voice fill the air, asking my friend to give him her ID card.

I didn鈥檛 think it was my business, but apparently it was. He called me back as I was walking away and asked for my ID card too. He collected the cards and sent us to class. After our class was over, we went to the Student Affairs office. He gave us an offence form and he instructed us to write 鈥済ross insubordination鈥� as our offence. That was very confusing. I faced the SDC afterwards. Luckily, I didn鈥檛 get into more trouble because I had no priors. I got off with a letter of warning. 

Alice – I got in trouble for “kissing my boyfriend” even though we were several feet apart.

This happened in my third year. It was the departure service night 鈥� it鈥檚 this prayer thing we do at the end of the semester before we go home. The service had ended and I was hanging out with my boyfriend. Then this hall officer appeared out of nowhere and claimed that she saw us kissing. That was absurd because we put a good distance between us. She insisted on her stance — that there was a picture she took of us in the act.

There was no picture and we knew that. We asked her to show us the picture. Of course, she couldn鈥檛, so she had to let us go. I returned to school the following semester and found out that she was my hall officer. I didn鈥檛 think much about it or the situation that happened the previous semester. One day, I was going to church when she called me, and without a word, she gave me an offence form to fill. She charged me with gross insubordination and dress code violation, but I knew what it was all about. Lucky for me, it never got processed.

Gbenga  – Someone on my floor was apparently smoking weed, so they took all of us on the floor for a test.

It was 1 am, but most of my coursemates were still awake 鈥� we were studying for a major test we had in a few hours. Next thing we knew, guys in suits were knocking on doors and calling everyone on our floor to come out of their rooms. 

Apparently they had gotten a tip that someone on our floor had been smoking weed, so they took all of us to get tested for drugs. We were stuck there for hours and by the time they finally let us go, it was time for class. Most of us failed that test.

Muyiwa – I got in trouble for talking in the chapel.

It was a Thursday evening and I was at the chapel. Papa came to preach, so the MSS guys 鈥� they are the school security people 鈥� were so extra that day. I was having a discussion with a couple of friends. One of the hall officers knew me and he singled me out. Two of them took me to the Head of MSS. He asked for my name, and I told him, but for some reason, he thought I was lying.

I didn鈥檛 have my ID card on me and that was all he needed to book me. Later, I got called to face the Student Disciplinary Committee to answer for chapel misconduct. It was just weird because I wasn鈥檛 the only one in the chapel on that day. After that incident, I sort of became a target and they would come into my room any time they wanted to check if I had a bible. And that made me very uncomfortable.

Ann –  I never got in trouble even though I violated a lot of their rules.

I never got into trouble in school, never even got to see the popular offence form people had to fill when they got into trouble. And no. I wasn鈥檛 a model student, I skipped classes, skipped chapel services, violated dress code rules a couple of times, and I even left school without exeat. But I never got caught doing any of those. 

However, an event that I鈥檒l never forget during my stay in CU was the departure service in my first year. The matriculation ceremony held earlier and we had spent most of the week doing mid-semester tests. I didn鈥檛 think the departure service was going to be serious. It took a lot to fight the urge to stay in bed and sleep instead. I got to the chapel and everyone was basically lazying around.

In a minute, everything suddenly became chaotic. I saw students running around. Some were even trying to get in through the windows.  The Chancellor took to the stage and gave an angry speech. The part I鈥檒l never forget was when he said: 鈥淚f anyone makes a sound, the curse of the Lord will be upon them.鈥� I鈥檇 never seen a place go grave silent in seconds. The members of the student affairs department took over from there, going round to check if students were compliant with dress codes rules and if people had their bibles and chapel note (Actual hard copy bible and note.) I didn鈥檛 think it was possible for a bible to look like a 60 leaves exercise book until that day. 

It was just really stressful and I was so relieved when the whole thing ended. But it hadn鈥檛 really ended. The following day, more than 200 students were suspended. Just like that. 

*All names have been changed to protect the identities of the subjects.

Are you currently studying in Nigeria or elsewhere and have a story to share about your life in school? Please take a minute to fill this  and we will reach out to you ASAP.

Can鈥檛 get enough Aluta and Chill? Check back every Thursday at noon for a new episode. Find other stories in the series here.

Every year, sit for the exam organised by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) as a prerequisite for applying to any Nigerian tertiary institution. Kola had two choices: try his luck with another university or wait until the following year to rewrite the exam.

 鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 stay at home for an entire year,鈥� he says.

He and his parents eventually found a seemingly perfect alternative. They decided that he would attend Igbinedion University in Okada, a town in Edo State, 51 kilometres from Benin.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 even know the school existed before I wrote UTME, but it was a good alternative.鈥�

Changing his university of choice from a federal university to a private university wasn鈥檛 a decision he took lightly. For starters, there was the tuition to consider. The average fees at University of Benin was 鈧�42,000 ($108) per session.  At Igbinedion, he would have to pay  鈧�800,000 ($2,000). One thing was sure though. He wouldn鈥檛 have to worry about the crippling strikes Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and other staff unions embarked on every session.

What he didn鈥檛 know at the time was that there was something else he would have to worry about.

He was going back to his hostel after writing an exam in the second semester of his first year when he overheard a group of students talking about sourcing for money to give a lecturer.

 鈥淚 was not bothered when I heard this. It wasn鈥檛 my problem. But I got to the hostel and more students were talking about it.鈥�  

His curiosity got the better of him, prompting him to ask someone what the fuss was about. He got his answer: lecturers in his university were demanding money from students before they passed them. 

They called it

In several universities across the country, students and lecturers are in a symbiotic relationship of exchanging money for marks. More often than not, it happens at the prodding of the lecturer. While it is common and, maybe, not surprising to see this phenomenon play out at public universities, it is strange to see it happen at private universities like Igbinedion University where lecturers are relatively well-paid, aren鈥檛 owed salaries and have higher standards to follow. But if Kola鈥檚 story is anything to go by, this happens there too.

You either pay up or risk failing a course

Bianca*, a graduate of Ambrose Alli University, a public university at Ekpoma, also in Edo State, was certain that she wouldn鈥檛 pay money to any lecturer before she made good grades. She had known about this practice before she started at the school. Her sister had gone to the university and used to talk about it with their dad. At Ambrose Alli University, they called it 鈥渂locking.鈥�

Bianca was so comfortable in her certainty that when a classmate advised her to block a course in her first year, she brushed it off. 

鈥淚 always felt that it was for students who didn鈥檛 study and wanted to pass courses by any means necessary.鈥� 

She got an F in two courses in her first semester at the university. And instinctively, she realised that she had read the situation wrong. She got the message loud and clear.

鈥淔rom that moment, anytime I heard that there was an opportunity to block a course, I went for it.鈥�

Like Bianca, Kola was also indifferent about it until he failed a course he thought he should have passed in his second year. The truth stared at them 鈥� they had to play ball if they wanted to graduate with their mates. 

How does it work?

Richard*, a postgraduate student at Kogi State university 鈥� the same school where he got his undergraduate degree 鈥�  told me that the lecturers didn鈥檛 outrightly demand money from students. Instead, they relied on other students, whom they had relationships with, to do their dirty jobs for them. 

This is the same mode of operation in Igbinedion University and Ambrose Alli University according to Kola and Bianca respectively: to maintain plausible deniability, the lecturers don鈥檛 handle the transactions directly. 

 鈥淭he deals are usually brokered by the class reps. They ask you to meet them if you鈥檙e not sure how you would perform in an exam, so you can 鈥榳ork鈥� it,鈥� Bianca says.

She added that students, especially female students try to steer clear of the lecturers for fear of being propositioned.

Students who can鈥檛 pay in cash are expected to pay in kind. For female students, the lecturer may expect sexual favours in return for grades. Male students, on the other hand,  are tasked with buying gifts or rendering some form of service to the lecturer. 

After the payment stage, the lecturers gather the students into their offices and give them fresh answer sheets to rewrite the exam. Only that this time, they鈥檙e allowed to use their study materials to answer the questions.

Lecturers at Ambrose Alli University don鈥檛 always go through this trouble, especially when they鈥檙e dealing with 100 and 200 level students. They simply upgrade their marks. So, a  potential D will change to an A, a B or a C, depending on how much the student paid. 

鈥淪tarting from 300 level, the lecturers can鈥檛 stamp grades on scripts indiscriminately anymore because there are external examiners who go through scripts to ensure transparency,鈥� Bianca explains. 

The deal is usually upheld, but I wondered what would happen if a lecturer collects money from a student but doesn鈥檛 hold up to his or her end of the deal. Bianca and Kola don鈥檛 think this ever happens. However,  Richard said that any lecturer who attempts this is making himself a target of violent attacks from disgruntled students.

鈥淚f a student pays a lecturer and he reneges on his promise, all bets are off. Chances are that the lecturer will be attacked.鈥�

Sorting is not cheap

 At Ambrose Alli University, students pay between 鈧�5,000 and 鈧�20,000 to sort courses. 

鈥淔or a 2-unit course, you pay 鈧�10,000 for an A, 鈧�8,000 for a B and 鈧�5,000 for a C.鈥� For 4 and unit courses, you could pay as high as 鈧�20,000,鈥� Bianca breaks it down.

The minimum wage in Nigeria is currently 鈧�30,000 (about $77), which doesn鈥檛 cut it for a lot of people. Numbers from the suggest that about 40% (representing 82.9 million Nigerians) live in poverty. Yet, Nigerian lecturers don鈥檛 care that most students aren鈥檛 working and many of them struggle to get by.

Things are even more interesting at Igbinedion University. The lecturers rely on their own discretion to set a price tag, although the student鈥檚 relationship with them plays a role here. 

鈥淭he average price to sort a course is between 鈧�15,000 and 鈧�40,000. But nothing less than 鈧�15,000. Students pay up to 鈧�90,000 (300% the minimum wage) to sort courses in a semester,鈥� Kola reveals. 

The grade a student also gets depends on their relationship with the lecturer. Usually, they settle on a B or a C. A student who sorts his or her course shouldn鈥檛 expect an A.

Students at Kogi State University pay the least amount of money to sort their courses. Richard said that the highest sum of money he ever heard anyone pay a lecturer was 鈧�4,000. The standard charge rests between 鈧�1,000 and 鈧�1,500. 

鈥淢ost of the students at KSU simply cannot afford to pay huge sums of money. Even when I wrote final year projects for some of my classmates, it was a struggle before I got someone who agreed to pay me 鈧�17,000. I could have gotten up to 鈧�40,000 at another university.鈥�

You may wonder how the students afford to pay the lecturers, considering that students register several courses every semester. Bianca鈥檚 dad knew about the arrangement and sent money to her every semester. 

鈥淢y dad usually sent me about  鈧�60,000 every semester to take care of this thing.鈥�

Kola had to handle it himself for the most part. 

鈥淚 dipped into my savings to pay lecturers. It wasn鈥檛 until I got to 300 level that I told my parents about it. It was hard to convince them that it was just the way things were.鈥�

Richard didn鈥檛 partake in sorting, at least not in the conventional sense. He built relationships with the lecturers and leveraged them to get out of paying money. 

鈥淚 try to get the lecturer’s attention by asking them questions in class. Sometimes, I visit them at their offices and try to see how I can help them. I made sure to never ask them for favours. Basically, I developed mentor-mentee relationships with them.鈥�

鈥淓veryone knows it happens but no one cares鈥�

Actions have consequences. The authorities responsible for sanctioning the lecturers for their offences are the university management boards. Kola, Bianca and Richard said that if the management knew about the practice, they did nothing about it. One could argue that the management of these schools are not on top of the situation because the students, who are directly affected, keep quiet about it. But it鈥檚 more complicated than it seems. Students are scared of reporting to the authorities for fear of retribution. They cannot know which members of the academic staff to trust.

鈥淔rom the vice-chancellor to the porter, everyone seems to be corrupt.  I don鈥檛 think that there鈥檚 a lecturer that hasn鈥檛 tampered with marks. All of them are guilty. Everyone in management used to be lecturers too,鈥� Richard quips. 

He noted, with sadness, that students have also contributed to the precarious situation. 

鈥淔rom my experience, the proportion of students who are willing to pay money to sort their courses are far greater than those who aren鈥檛.鈥�

This suggests that students also drive the demand and supply model of this practice. Here鈥檚 the thing 鈥� students want to pass their courses and want to get the highest grade possible. However, not everyone wants to put in the work. Conveniently, there鈥檚 another option they could explore: they part with some money and they pass. These kinds of students will not require a lot of convincing before they embrace grade sorting. In fact, they actively seek it out.

The Aftermath 

Bianca, Kola and Richard are out of school, but they are still reeling from the experience. 

鈥淚 hated giving those fuckers my money,鈥� Bianca fumes. 鈥淓ven though my dad sent about 鈧�500,000 in total throughout my stay at the school, I used about 鈧�130,000 to sort my courses. 

Interestingly, Bianca isn鈥檛 even sure of the grade she graduated with. 

鈥淢y statement of result states that I graduated with a 2.1. But I found my name under the 2.2 category in the convocation list. At the moment, I鈥檓 not sure of what I actually graduated with.鈥�

While she might not know her final grade yet, she knows how much the whole experience affected her self-confidence and attitude towards learning. 

鈥淚t really fucked with me. At a point, I didn鈥檛 see the point of going to classes. But I studied for courses I knew that I didn鈥檛 have to block.鈥�

Kola is also demoralised by the sheer insanity of paying to pass courses, especially in a university where he had to pay about  鈧�800,000 as tuition every year to remain a student.

鈥淢y attitude towards learning took a beating the more I paid to pass courses. The enthusiasm totally fizzled out. If you asked me to mention something useful I gained from the university, I would be at a loss for words.鈥�

Richard is determined to not let the situation haunt him for the rest of his life. He wants to be a part of the system and fight the rot from inside. 

鈥淚 want to be a lecturer. I want to bring my own principles and weird ideas to life. I鈥檓 not saying that I will be able to stop grade sorting in its entirety, but my students will know me as the lecturer that doesn鈥檛 partake in it.”

Editor’s note: Names have been changed to protect the identity of the subjects.

This week’s Aluta and Chill is about how unsafe Nigerian campuses can be. From the student who was stuck in an abusive relationship to the student who witnessed female students being drugged at a party, these stories are chilling.

Boma, Female, University of Port Harcourt 

I met this guy in my first month at school. He was older than me by 8 years and was in the penultimate year of his medical degree. I didn鈥檛 mind the age difference. I thought it was cool, and that it would be good for me.

It was not. He was an abuser who didn鈥檛 waste an opportunity to hurt me. At first, it was only verbal assaults. Then he started to hit me. He promised to stop, and I believed him. However, he physically abused me again and again. 

I was scared every time I was with him. He was unpredictable and could go off on me anytime. I started praying for the session to end, so he could leave the school and me. 

It took me 23 months before I found the courage to leave him. I know I should have left earlier, but I thought he needed me. Even after I walked away from the relationship, I was reeling. I suffered from for some time. The sight of boys triggered me, even if I knew them. I decided to get help and started seeing a psychologist. The sessions helped, and now, I feel like I鈥檓 beginning to remember who I was before I met him. 

Lola, Female, University of Lagos 

This happened at one of the freshers鈥� parties when I was in 100 level. The plan was to chill there for a while before I returned to my hostel. I didn鈥檛 even mingle with anyone 鈥� I stood in a spot and watched everything that was going on.

I saw some of the older students slipping something into the drinks of female students. It was stealthy done, but I caught it. I wasn鈥檛 sure what I saw until the girls were being led away. It didn鈥檛 seem like they were in control of themselves.

I wanted to do something, but I was so scared about what would happen to me if I did. I鈥檇 heard stories about girls being drugged at parties, but to see it up-close paralysed me. 

The scene put me off totally, and I knew I had to leave immediately. It worried me so much, but I tried to sleep it off. If I doubted what I saw, it cleared when I heard a couple of students in my hostel talking about it the following day. 

Chisom, Female, University of Nigeria 

Sometime in my second year, I went out to get dinner. The queue at the restaurant was long, and when I returned to my hostel, the gate had been locked. I beckoned to the porter on duty to open the gate, but she ignored me. She thought I was being rude. So there I was, on a street that was almost empty, alone and scared. It didn鈥檛 help that there was a noise coming from an area close to where I was. They fought a lot in that place, and I feared that anything could happen in a moment. I became frantic and knocked more loudly, but nobody opened the gate.

A car pulled up beside me. Initially, I thought it was one of the security officers on patrol and felt some relief. But it was just a male student. I also thought he wanted to help me beg the porter, but he had other ideas. He gave me a speech about how a fight had broken out and how it was headed in my direction. I was borderline anxious now.

This guy asked me to follow him 鈥� he didn鈥檛 even say where 鈥� so he could keep me safe. I thanked him for the offer and explained that I was safer in front of my hostel. However, he kept coaxing me to come with him. He seemed desperate, and that worried me. He was even gently pulling me in the direction of his car. I was scared that he might force me into the car, but at the same time, I didn鈥檛 want him to leave.

Luckily, one of the people who lived in the hostel saw what was going on and alerted the porter. The lady eventually opened the gate, and when I looked back to thank the guy, he鈥檇 disappeared. 

Timothy, Male, University of Calabar

It was 2017. Cultism was at an all-time high on campus. A church member from home came to write the university鈥檚 post-UTME, and I had to pick him up so he could spend the night with me. On our way to my hostel, we were accosted by another student. I recognised him as one of the dreaded cultists on campus. Let鈥檚 call him A.

The boy I was with wore a cap that had a touch of red, and that was why A stopped us. I tried to calm him down, explaining that the kid wasn鈥檛 a student and was only in school to write an examination. I knew we might be in trouble when one of the university security officers passed and he and A hailed each other. The man knew it was a hostage situation and went on his way. Eventually, I managed to calm A down, and he let us go. But I couldn鈥檛 stop thinking about the security guy and what he did.

And oh, by the way, A is late now. He was shot dead in his final year.

Oliver, University of Benin

I was returning to school from a trip to Warri, and I got back late to Osasogie 鈥� a community close to the school. The Keke operators had closed for the day, so I had to walk to my hostel. Everything was great for a minute until two guys appeared from the darkness and flashed a gun at me. My survival instincts went on an overdrive. I didn鈥檛 think much. I kicked the guy closest to me, and I ran. To my horror, they followed. 

Unfortunately, my glasses fell off, and I crashed into the ground. In no time, they caught up with me again. Everything was a blur from that moment. They stabbed me a couple of times. When they were done, they took everything I had on me. I managed to get myself to my hostel, and I was rushed to the health centre. I spent two days there. 

Are you currently studying in Nigeria or elsewhere and have a story to share about your life in school? Please take a minute to fill this  and we will reach out to you ASAP.

Can鈥檛 get enough Aluta and Chill?听Check back every Thursday at 9 AM for a new episode. Find other stories in the series听here.

For students at any of the government-owned universities across the country, ASUU and NASU strikes are a big part of their experiences. The staff unions are always in disagreements with the federal government, leading to strikes that sometimes go on for months. No one feels this avoidable break in academic activities more than the students who are directly affected, so I thought to speak to a couple of university students. They talk about the most memorable strike they鈥檝e experienced and everything that came with it.

Ewoma, Female, University of Lagos 

It was a Monday in 2018 and I was in 200 Level. Word was that NASU was going on strike, but nobody thought a NASU strike would spell disaster. I had a class at noon, which I went to, but the main entrance to the faculty was locked. I鈥檒l admit that I was excited because it was the middle of the semester and I thought I could use a break from classes. My class held, but it was not the best experience. Even the lecturer decided that he鈥檇 seen enough and ended the class before the hour mark.

When it was 6 PM and they didn鈥檛 restore power to the hostels or anywhere else, we realised that we might be in trouble. No power meant no water, and that was usually the start of a big struggle. Also, we couldn鈥檛 stay in our rooms 鈥� the heat and mosquitoes were a deadly combination. 

Many people in the hostel were forced to sleep outside. The situation took a turn for the worse the following morning. Water had stopped running in the hostels, so the toilets were unusable. Besides, the pungent smell of spoilt food made the air unbreathable. 

The strike lasted for a week and it was one sad story or the other. We watched helplessly as our food supply went bad. Pretty much everyone had to spend more money on food. I felt a lot of things during the long week, but the strongest emotion was anger. I understood that NASU had a beef to settle with the federal government, but why did they have to do us dirty to make a point?

Praises, Female, University of Nigeria

It started with the rumours. But nobody thought it was going to happen 鈥� ASUU was always threatening to go on strike. Even when the rumours gained momentum, everyone I knew didn鈥檛 think there was something there. 

We were wrong. I was in the middle of a lecture one day when three men walked into the class. They said: 鈥淲e鈥檙e sorry to disturb you, but we鈥檙e embarking on a nationwide strike.鈥� They were polite but firm. That was the end of the lecture and the beginning of my first experience with ASUU strikes. It was funny because they still managed to surprise us, even though there were tell-tale signs.

However, there were fears that the lecturers in my school wouldn鈥檛 obey the directive to suspend academic activities, so I didn鈥檛 go home immediately. I suspected that lecturers would continue classes and those were perfect situations for impromptu tests and whatnot. I spent two long weeks at school. Unfortunately, I was broke and I hardly had any food. I got sucked into a routine of waking up, eating cornflakes and going back to sleep. 

In the middle of it, I thought a lot about my life choices and other options I could have taken 鈥� like why couldn鈥檛 I have gone to a school abroad? Why did I use the last 鈧�1000 I had to renew my data subscription? 鈥� you know stuff like that. 

I was so frustrated about all of it. Not sure what the underlying reasons were, but I couldn鈥檛 shake it off. In the end, the coronavirus pandemic hit the country and the federal government directed the closure of schools across the country. There were no concerns about classes anymore, so I packed my stuff and went home.

Anana, Female, University of Uyo

School had just resumed and I was about to start my second year at the university when ASUU went on this strike 鈥� I don鈥檛 even remember what it was about anymore. The last place I wanted to go was my parent鈥檚 house. Not like I hated home, but I had lived at the estate since I was 7. Going to school was my first real chance at freedom, and it sucked to have it taken away from me. 

To make things worse, my siblings were not at home, so it was just me. I picked up sewing to pass the time, but there was only so much it could do for me. My apartment at school had become my safe space and it felt like I had been robbed of it. I realised how tired I was of the entire thing when it got to a point where I would have given anything to be in a room filled with students and lecturers. At the peak, I felt my brain was dying from inactivity. 

The only decent thing I got out of the experience was that I got closer to one of my sister鈥檚 friends. It was nice having someone close to talk to. But that was it. Everything else was a disaster. The strike lasted for about 3 months before they called it off. 

Tochukuwu, Male, Nnamdi Azikiwe University

Earlier this year, my school declared a lecture-week free in preparations for the convocation ceremony, and I went home. I was preparing to return to school when I heard that the rift between the Federal Government and ASUU over the IPPIS payment system had gotten to a head. ASUU had kicked against the implementation of the system, but the FG went ahead with it. I guess it was fight-or-flight for ASUU because they went on a 2-week warning strike. It didn鈥檛 make sense to return to school, so I stayed back. 

Before the warning strike ran its course, the pandemic hit, forcing everything to a standstill. It鈥檚 been about 6 months now and I鈥檓 not sure if ASUU is ready to go back to work even if the FG okays resumption of schools.

I don鈥檛 think I mind, though. I鈥檝e been more productive since I鈥檝e been at home. With school, there was always the urgency to keep up with academic stuff. But that鈥檚 not something I have to deal with now, and this has given me quite a bit of time to focus on other things I鈥檓 interested in. 

Ayodele, Male, University of Ibadan 

Since I started studying at the university, there have been at least two strikes every session. The incessant interruption of the school calendar has always been annoying. For reasons that I can鈥檛 control, my stay in school keeps getting longer.

A couple of months ago, at the end of the second semester of my third year, NASU went on strike in the middle of exams. However, the exams went on. They wanted to make their industrial action more effective, so NASU members crippled the school鈥檚 public transport system, forcing the cab drivers to stop working鈥� there were no cabs and everybody in the school community had to walk to wherever they were going. This went on for a month before they called it off. 

NASU had just called off their strike when ASUU went on theirs. And the strike is still on, even though schools across the country are currently closed. Now, I鈥檓 not sure if I鈥檓 still in 300 level or final year. This is frustrating as the plan was to finish university in 2020. That’s impossible now, and if this keeps happening, 2021 might be out too. I鈥檝e felt a lot of things, but right now, I feel indifferent. I鈥檓 totally over it.

Are you currently studying in Nigeria or elsewhere and have a story to share about your life in school? Please take a minute to fill this  and we will reach out to you ASAP.

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Last weekend, I wasn鈥檛 sure what this week鈥檚 Aluta and Chill theme would be. I got my “eureka” moment during a casual conversation with one of the subjects when he complained about his school health services. This triggered a painful memory of an event that happened to someone I knew when I was at university. And I figured that I might be onto something. It looks like I was right 鈥� from the student who holds her school clinic responsible for the death of a student to the student who doesn鈥檛 understand why he was almost refused treatment because of his appearance, it appears that that two major obstacles stand in the way of students and quality healthcare at school: Poorly run facilities and unsympathetic and disrespectful medical personnel.

Seyi, Ladoke Akintola University 鈥� 鈥淎 student needed an ambulance but it wasn鈥檛 available. He died.鈥�

The clinic at my school is poorly-equipped, so it鈥檚 always a struggle every time I’ve gone there. One time, I was attacked by dogs and needed to get an anti-rabies shot 鈥� they didn鈥檛 have it. The good thing is I survived every time. A student wasn鈥檛 so lucky. 

In my second year, a guy slumped during a football match, and he was rushed to the school clinic. He had trouble breathing and needed to be on oxygen support. However, the oxygen cylinders were empty. The school clinic had a weird habit of referring cases they couldn鈥檛 handle to Bowen University Teaching Hospital, even though the school had its own teaching hospital, and it was closer to the school. That wasn鈥檛 even the problem this time 鈥� the ambulance that would have conveyed him to the hospital wasn鈥檛 available. Why? Someone at the clinic had sent the driver out to buy food. Before they could sort out the logistics and get the student the help needed, he died.

The events that led to his death riled the student population up and led to a protest. Of course, no one took responsibility for the tragedy. The school management only released a statement and expected life to continue. While this wasn鈥檛 a personal experience, it hurt deeply.

Ihenacho, Electrical Engineering, Landmark University 鈥� 鈥淭hey said I needed a blood transfusion, but I didn’t鈥�

I always hated going to the hospital, but I had to go to my school clinic earlier this year. I had passed out at the school cafeteria. The nurses on duty didn鈥檛 waste time before they chalked it down to malaria. I suspected that they got the diagnosis wrong, making me uncomfortable. I demanded to see a doctor and requested a blood test. It took hours before I got both, but thank God I did. It wasn鈥檛 malaria.

My blood level was a little low. The doctor said I had to do a blood transfusion and that it had to be done immediately. I was like “what?” I didn鈥檛 know much, but I knew that a blood transfusion was usually for severe cases of blood loss. It wasn鈥檛 like I was in critical condition. Besides, they hadn鈥檛 informed my parents. I refused and notified my parents. After spending a few days at the hospital, I knew I couldn鈥檛 trust them anymore. I went home and to another hospital and did more tests. They didn鈥檛 suggest a blood transfusion and didn鈥檛 even think I needed one. Thinking about that experience still freaks me out. 

Aziz, Accounting, University of Ilorin 鈥� 鈥淭he nurse wouldn鈥檛 treat me because of my鈥� haircut.鈥�

My friend and I had a bike accident on our way to buy food. We sustained multiple injuries, and we knew we had to play it safe and go to the clinic. But it was very late in the night, and they鈥檇 locked the school gate. Luckily, we managed to stop the bleeding that night. 

We went to the school clinic very early the following morning. It took hours before we saw a doctor. After taking a look at our wounds, he wrote us a prescription and directed us to the nurses. This was where it got real 鈥� the nurses said they wouldn鈥檛 treat us. They claimed that my hair was too full, and my friend鈥檚 nails were too long. After a series of back and forth, they agreed to tend to my wounds only because a barbershop wasn鈥檛 in the area. But my friend had to chew his nails right there before they treated him. It was so wild!

Zainab, Computer Science, University of Lagos 鈥� 鈥淭he nurses went off on me because of a card.鈥�

I went to the clinic once, and I almost wished that I hadn鈥檛. It was during my first year at school. One minute, I was fine, but I developed a fever in the next. I wanted to go home, but my roommate suggested the clinic. Besides, it was already late. The struggle started from the second I stepped foot at the clinic. First, they wanted to send me back because I didn鈥檛 come during their “working hours.” They relaxed their stance when they realised how high my body temperature was.

After that, they asked to see my clinic card, which I didn鈥檛 have. I was confused momentarily, and that was all they needed to go off on me. They didn鈥檛 hold back their words, and this went on for about 15 minutes. I was dying, but these people thought it was fun to be vicious and mean. Anyway, they opened a temporary file for me and sent me to the doctor. The doctor wasn鈥檛 warm either 鈥� she was in quite a mood. 

My fever got worse during the night. My roommates rushed me back the next morning. The card thing came up again, which was weird because I was just there the previous night, and they opened a file for me. Obviously, it didn鈥檛 go into their records. And from where they were standing, that was my fault. I was in bad shape, but that didn鈥檛 stop them from going off on me again. I didn鈥檛 understand how they found it so easy to be mean. When they eventually got over themselves and attended to me, it turned out there were no vacant beds. I had to stay at the nurses鈥� station until my sister arrived later that day and took me home. I鈥檓 never going back there. 

Mobola, University of Ilorin 鈥� 鈥淚 needed a tetanus shot, and I almost missed an assignment deadline because of it.鈥�

I was working on a school project 鈥� a one-bedroom apartment model 鈥� when I cut myself. I didn鈥檛 even think it was a big deal and continued with my life. When I was making a last-minute adjustment to my design, I decided to be cute. I took a picture of the wound and sent it to my mum, hoping she would just say sorry and probably send me money. Nope! She freaked out and demanded that I go to the school clinic for a tetanus shot. She didn鈥檛 relent when I told her that I had an assignment to submit in a few hours.

I got to the clinic, and the line was freakishly long. I would have left, but my mum was calling me every second to make sure I was there. When it got to my turn, I realised that I needed a clinic card. They refused to attend to me without one, even when I explained my deadline situation. 

I needed a passport photograph to get a card, and I thought I was lucky because I had one with me. However, they rejected it because it had a white background and the acceptable background was red. I mentioned my assignment again, but it didn鈥檛 inspire sympathy. Now, I was frustrated and close to tears. I dashed out to get a new passport and rushed back. The entire process was so stressful that I wondered why I even went there at all.

Finally, I got what I needed. Now, it was me against time. I raced down to my hostel to get my design and ran the rest of the way to class. I got there just seconds before the deadline. Everyone had even submitted their assignment, but I knew the class rep, and that worked in my favour. I learned my lesson though 鈥� the clinic is not the best place to go in dire situations. 

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The subjects of this week鈥檚 Aluta and Chill are 5 students from different Nigerian universities. They talk about managing their finances at school, a memorable time a careless financial decision made them broke, and the lessons they learned from the experience.

Ekubiatobong, Female, University of Uyo

My allowance every month was 鈧�25000, and it was usually enough for me. However, I didn鈥檛 think to save at all because I didn鈥檛 see a need to. This would come back to bite me.

There was a month when I spent more than usual on my school and living expenses and finished my allowance. When I realised how dire the situation was, I tried to ration what was left, but it was too late. Things took an unfavourable turn when I was down to 鈧�100, and my next allowance was a week away. 

I couldn鈥檛 call my dad, so I did the next best thing and called my sister. She told me that she would get back to me, but I knew what that meant. She wasn鈥檛 going to bail me out. 

I managed to go to class the next morning, skipping breakfast because I couldn鈥檛 afford it. During the hours I spent in class, I was in low spirits, and everything I saw irritated me. I hadn鈥檛 had a meal when I left the campus in the evening. When I got home, an unusual thing happened. A friend came to visit me and brought food. It couldn鈥檛 have come at a better time. 

The night was sorted, but I knew I had no plans for the following day. I was flat-out broke. It turned out that luck was on my side because my sister came through and sent 鈧�5000 to me. 

A lot of things have changed since that time. I鈥檓 more independent now and more responsible with my finances. Also, I have a partner, and I always feel the need to have something saved up because either of us could need it at any time. 

Beatrice*, Female, Afe Babalola University

I started a clothing line business when I got into school and poured everything I could save from the monthly allowance I got from my parents into it, and it picked up nicely. It was something I always fell back on because I hated asking my parents for money all the time. 

Sometime last year, I ran out of my allowance earlier than usual, but I was convinced that I wasn鈥檛 in trouble. I thought the business would hold me until my next allowance came. Unfortunately, I ran into a problem with delivery. Most of the orders I got were from people outside the school. However, it was impossible to get the product to them because of my school security system. 

I thought I would make some sales at school, but that didn鈥檛 happen. All my plans were tied to making money from the business, and when things didn鈥檛 go to plan, I became short on money. I remember having 鈧�2000 left and trying to make it last for a week. That was when it hit me that I was broke. 

It killed me to do it, but I knew I had to let my parents know what was going on. Even though they weren鈥檛 in the country at the time, they sent something to me. But It took three days before I got the money. Those three days were hell for me. It was so bad that I couldn鈥檛 afford to buy food anymore 鈥� I lived on cereals. 

By the time I eventually got the money, I had learned an important lesson 鈥� I realised that it didn鈥檛 make sense to plan around money I hadn鈥檛 gotten. Now, I鈥檓 at a good point with my finances. I鈥檓 saving more and the business is doing better. So, maybe I needed to have that experience.

Mtchy, Male, University of Calabar

My dad typically sends me money every week. But one week, he made a mistake and transferred the week鈥檚 allowance twice. When he realised what had happened, he instructed me to keep the extra money and use it to sort myself out the following week. The smart thing to do was to save and work with my weekly budget, but the money seemed like a huge amount to me. I couldn鈥檛 help myself, and I squandered the bulk of it on food. 

I sobered up quickly when I came to terms with what I had done, and what it meant for me. However, it was too late. I resorted to walking to school every day for an entire week. In the middle of this, I got a cut on one of my feet. The pain was unbearable, but it was either I sucked it up or skipped classes since I couldn鈥檛 afford to take a cab to my lectures.

Sometimes, a friend helped with food, but that was it. All through the period, I was thinking about the decision making that got me there. Man, I lost a lot of weight before the ordeal was over. I survived it, though. After that, I took my budgets more seriously. I cannot go through that again.

.

Yemisi, Female, University of Lagos

At the end of every session, every hostel at my school organises pageants as part of the Hall Week celebrations. I was in my first year, and I had no plans to participate until my roommate brought it up. She gassed me up so much that I was pretty convinced that I would win. 

I told mum about it, but she was against the idea. She didn鈥檛 think the money I was going to spend was worth it. It should have ended there, but I decided to go ahead, even though I knew that I would have to finance it myself.

I decided to use my weekly allowance to sponsor my participation. Every week they sent money to me from home, I used most of it to prepare for the pageant. The plan was that I would win the grand prize and recover everything I鈥檇 spent. 

Finally, the pageant鈥檚 grand finale took place, but did I win? Nope! All my money went down the drain. I needed to figure out a way to survive the week. There was no way I could call home because my mum told me not to go ahead. I couldn’t ask my friends for help either. For the entire period, I lived off my bunkmate. It wasn鈥檛 an ideal situation, but I understood that a couple of bad decisions got me there. I think I needed to learn that lesson.

Chelsea, Female, University of Nigeria

In my second year, I bought a couple of things I didn鈥檛 need from my pocket money and didn鈥檛 leave enough for emergencies. Unluckily for me, I had to spend some more money on faculty and department dues. I knew I was broke when I had only 鈧�2000 left in my account. To make things worse, my bank debited me for some charge before I could make a withdrawal.

I didn鈥檛 have up to the amount I wanted to withdraw anymore. I didn鈥檛 have a lot of options, so I toss my ego aside and asked one of my friends to transfer some money into my account. But that wasn鈥檛 the end. 

I returned to my room and dropped the cash on my bed before I went out for a bit. When I got back, I saw only one 鈧�1000 note on my bed. I looked everywhere for the other note, but I couldn鈥檛 find it. My frustration gave in to resignation, and I had a big 鈥淚f I perish, I perish鈥� moment.

I went out to blow the 鈧�1000 on food. I went to a restaurant and ordered a nice plate of food. But something extraordinary happened before I finished eating, I got an alert of 鈧�5000. It was a dividend from an investment put some money into. It was enough to keep me together for some time. I realised that the situation happened because I got my priorities wrong. From that moment, I became deliberate about spending money on my needs rather than my wants.

Can鈥檛 get enough Aluta and Chill?听Check back every Thursday at 9 AM for a new episode. Find other stories in the series听here.

We don鈥檛 talk about it enough but affordable accommodation or the lack of it is a problem students face in tertiary institutions across the country. To be fair, a lot of universities have hostels managed by the management, but they are hardly enough to accommodate a reasonable percentage of students studying there.  Some students have to find accommodation outside the university grounds and often more than not, they  pay through their nose for it.

These are some of the accommodation problems Nigerian students face, but as you’ll  find out from the students I talked to for this story, there鈥檚 more they worry about. Why don鈥檛 you dive in and read?

Aramide, Lagos State University 鈥� I ran into a group of cultists

There are no school-run hostels on campus and the few private ones available are way out of budget. A lot of students are forced to find alternatives outside the school campus, even though most of them are not entirely safe – I’m one of such students.

In my first year, a friend and I went to visit another female friend who lived in PPL, an area known for cheap hostels and its poor security system. She wasn’t home, so we turned back to return to our apartment.

We were still fresh and didn鈥檛 know that it was a sin to greet or hail people we didn鈥檛 know. We flouted the rule, loudly greeting people as we went on our way. Before we got out of the area, a group of guys accosted us and demanded to know who we were. They accused us of wearing their colours too鈥� another thing we didn鈥檛 know. 

I immediately made them out as cultists and kept quiet. My friend, on the other hand, was naive and thought we could talk our way out of the situation. His confidence riled the guys up and they pulled a gun on us. I鈥檇 never seen one at such close distance, and for a moment, I thought that was it. I鈥檓 not sure if I was able to hide my fears because sweat was trickling down my face.

My friend鈥檚 tone changed, and together, we started pleading for our lives. They asked us to bring out our valuables. I left my phone at home, but my friend had his phone and a can of perfume he鈥檇 just bought on him. They didn鈥檛 take the phone because it was old, but they took the perfume from him. They sprayed some of it on us in mockery. After they鈥檇 had their fun, they instructed us to run like our lives depended on it, and boy did we!

Kalu Deborah, University of Nigeria, Nsukka 鈥� I was forced to live with a friend 

Hostels in my university are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. The sooner you pay your school fees, the higher your chances of getting a room. You’d think it鈥檚 an easy process, but the school has a way of making it extremely difficult. The application portal could crash, they could assign the same corner to different people, or they could assign people to non-existent corners.

In my 4th year, it didn鈥檛 look like I was going to get a space in the hostel. When a friend I had known since I came to write Post-UTME told me that she paid someone to ensure that she got a room, I asked if I could pay half of the money so we could stay  together. She agreed to this and that was supposed to be all. 

I understood the risk here. There was a possibility that she’d ask me to move out before the session ended and I decided to be proactive. I drew up an agreement on paper and asked her to sign it, but she refused. That was when I knew something was wrong. 

I was out of school on a weekend when I got a text message from her. She claimed that one of her cousins who was studying nursing had asked to stay with her and she couldn鈥檛 refuse. That was obviously a lie because first year nursing students  stay on a different campus. She was clear with her demands, though 鈥� she wanted me to move out.

I was livid, but there was nothing I could do about it. I went back to school and went to her room to remove my stuff. In the middle of doing that, she walked in and started running her mouth about how assertive I was by asking her to sign an agreement. The more she talked, the more my anger grew. To be honest, I was very close to physically assaulting her. Thankfully, another friend allowed me to stay in her room temporarily. Not long after,  ASUU strike happened, which gave me time to find an alternative solution. Another friend took me in and I stayed in her room until the session ended.

John*,  Madonna University 鈥� I wrote an exam under stressful circumstances

For a private university, the state of student hostels in my school is very poor. There’s always something to deal with, especially power and water issues.

When I was in 200 level, I had to write a couple of professional exams that would determine if I’d move to the next year. On the second day the exams started, word got to us that the school generator had developed a fault. The boys hostel was totally reliant on generator sets, which ran from 6 PM to 6 AM every day. We had found a way to work with that, but we weren鈥檛 going to get any electricity that night. 

Everyone was confused and at a loss for what to do. We had important exams to write the following day, and there was no way we could study. The frustration everyone felt was palpable.

There was a church 30 minutes away, and they always had light . Normally, this wasn鈥檛 a distance anyone was comfortable walking, but the stakes were high. We moved to the church in droves and turned it into a makeshift study centre 鈥�  that was a stressful night.

I was an emotional wreck when I wrote the exam the following day. Fortunately, it wasn鈥檛 a disaster. I did pass the exam, but maybe I would have done better if the living situation was better.

Precious, University of Ilorin 鈥� I went through hell before I found a hostel

My school admits more students than the hostel facilities can accommodate. They try to give preference to first-year students, but the spaces are simply not enough to accommodate the  population. 

In my first year, I resumed late to school. The  school hostels were already at full capacity and most of the hostels outside the campus [ in the student-populated areas] were also occupied. For some time, I stayed with a family friend who lived in the town but I didn鈥檛 like it there. For starters, it was some distance from the university, so it made sense that I really wanted to leave.

Every Saturday, I’d leave the house to walk the length of the student areas, hoping to find a house that had a room that wasn鈥檛 occupied. This took hours of my time every weekend, yet most of the hostels I saw were crawling with students . It was a dark period.

I met someone who offered me a good deal, but when I saw the building, I knew that I couldn鈥檛 live there. The building was practically uncompleted. Anyway, I continued my search. Finally, I got a hostel but here was the thing 鈥� the hostel was one big room with bunk beds. There were about 21 occupants, and everyone shared the same room and one bathroom. I was desperate to find something, so I took it. It wasn’t fun living there at all. I was the youngest of the lot and the guys made me do most of the work. It was like I was living in a secondary school hostel with bullies for seniors. 

Paul, Abia State University 鈥� I have to live with a roommate

I stayed in the school hostel in my first year at school but it was a struggle to get used to it. I couldn鈥檛 choose my roommate. Besides, the sheer number of students allocated to each room didn鈥檛 sit well with me. The worst part of this was how unclean the hostel was. The toilets were the worst thing you would find. I couldn鈥檛 get used to the unhygienic living conditions.

When the session ended, I moved out and decided to stay off-campus. However, finding accommodation that had everything I was looking for 鈥� water, power, and close proximity to the school 鈥� was a little difficult. And when I found one that met all my requirements, I realized  that I didn鈥檛 have the budget for it. It was either I figured it out or go back to the  hostel. The alternative was to get a roommate, whom I鈥檇 split the rent with, and that鈥檚 what I did. 

For the most part, my quality of life has improved. However, I could do without a roommate. He鈥檚 not bad but his presence means that I can鈥檛 do a lot of things without considering his convenience, and this is very restrictive for me. There鈥檚 a lot of things I would like to do but cannot because of my roommate. It鈥檚 been one hell of a ride but I鈥檝e decided to stay alone from the next session. It鈥檚 about time.

Can鈥檛 get enough Aluta and Chill?听Check back every Thursday at 9 AM for a new episode. Find other stories in the series听here.

Angela鈥� I fended off a lecturer鈥檚 advances and it became a problem

Sometime in my second year, I was at the faculty to attend a class when a lecturer called me into his office. He asked about my CGPA and offered to help me with whatever I didn鈥檛 understand about his course. I thought that was it until he reached for his desk and brought out some sweets, which he tried to feed me. I excused myself, telling him that I had a class to attend. He let me go with clear instructions that I had to return. 

I didn鈥檛 go back and avoided him for the longest time. He asked my course rep to fetch me and dismissed her when we got to his office. Again, I was alone with him. He didn鈥檛 waste time this time before trying to kiss me. I was so disgusted that I didn鈥檛 know when I yelled at him to stop. He was taken aback and I used the opportunity to flee his office. 

A few days before exams, he sent my course rep to tell me that 鈥渆xam has come oh, how far?鈥�

I knew what that meant. However, I didn鈥檛 go to see him. When the results came out, I got an E in his course 鈥� I did well in school and I was confident that I was poised for an A. 

I told my mum what happened. My mum told my dad. And my dad reported the situation to someone in the school senate and the person took it up. It wasn鈥檛 fun for me. Suddenly, everybody knew about it and started to spread rumours. In class, the lecturer started to pick up on me. It was really overwhelming for me. At some point, I wasn鈥檛 interested in going to class anymore. It blew over eventually, but being in that situation wasn鈥檛 a fun thing. It was too much drama.

AJ 鈥� I was almost attacked in my lodge

One of my neighbours threw a party at my lodge. My friends and I hung around for a while before we got tired and went back to my room, thinking the night was over. Around 11 PM, one of my friends barged into the room, sick with worry. The only thing I could make out of what he was saying was that we should turn off the generator.

We turned the generator off. Then we found out why he was so alarmed. In the silence of the night, we heard the flat side of a machete landing on people鈥檚 backs, followed by loud screams. 

It had to be a robbery. We quickly hid our phones because there was the possibility that they would storm our room too. We also looked for a potential exit point in the ceiling where we could hide if the situation became more than we can handle.  

Within minutes, someone was knocking on our window, ordering us to let them in. Everyone froze in fright.  We had no choice but to obey. We nominated someone to go out and open the door, expecting the worst. 

Then this guy walked in with a machete and a gun. However, It was the chief security officer of my community.  And he was there to disrupt the party we were at earlier because nobody bribed him before the party took place. So, he came there to extort people and physically harass them. It was either that or he would call the police on them. He searched the room, looking for weed, but he found nothing and left us alone. My friends and I got out of the situation unharmed, but it was really unsettling. 

Chinwa 鈥� My friend laced my food with weed

I went to see a friend. She cooked noodles and offered it to me. I didn鈥檛 know, but she had laced it with weed. She was supposed to make my hair, but the weed took effect quicker on her. She told me she wanted to sleep and I decided to leave. I had barely made it to the car park before I lost all sense of self. Then I realised what she had done. 

I flagged down a cab and offered to pay for all the seats. During the ride, I found out that I didn鈥檛 have enough money on me, but I didn鈥檛 care. I just wanted to get home.  Nobody picked my call when I got to the hostel, so I had to climb the flight of stairs to get money to pay the cab. 

It was the most difficult thing I鈥檇 ever done. When I finally settled all that, I returned to my room and flopped down on my bed. Now,  I couldn鈥檛 sleep. I was so out of it that I could have sworn that the room was spinning in frantic motion.

I didn鈥檛 know when I finally slept off or for how long I slept. But I woke up with the worst hunger ever. But it was 11 PM and all the shops had closed. I couldn鈥檛 get food until the morning. 

Ekele 鈥� I went clubbing with friends and became stranded

We had just finished writing the semester exam and there was a party at a club near one of the three campuses 鈥� Choba campus. My friends thought we deserved to go out and have fun. I agreed to it after making both of them promise that we would leave early. 

The plan was to leave the club around 9 PM. When that time came, my friends were nowhere near ready to go. I contemplated leaving them there, but I decided against it. 

We left the club around 11 PM. However, the roads were empty, save for a few cabs. Our campus was about 30 minutes away but we were stranded. Eventually, we saw a taxi and three other people joined us. Midway into the trip, the driver said he wasn鈥檛 going to take us to our actual campus 鈥� Delta Campus 鈥� so, he dropped us off close to the main gate of Choba campus.

Now, it was 12 midnight or thereabout. And we were three ladies walking the streets of Port Harcourt. I鈥檇 never felt unsafe like that in a long time. We weren鈥檛 going to make it to the campus, so my friends decided that they would sleep at one of their friend鈥檚, but I wasn鈥檛 up for that. I decided to spend the night inside the school. Luckily, one of my friends was still writing her exams and was studying at the campus that night. I found her and stayed with her till until morning.  Finally, I got back to my apartment, rethinking my decisions from the previous night. I haven鈥檛 been to another club since that time.

Belema 鈥� I  squared up with a suspected cultist

I was watching a football match between my department and a set of guys from another department.  We were trailing behind on goals and tensions were already building up. Close to the end of the match, a player on the opposing team made a bad foul on a player from my team.

An argument broke out because of this and it didn鈥檛 die down, even after minutes had passed. Out of nowhere, a guy came on the field and declared the match over. He acted like he owned the place and this irritated me so much.

For some reason, everyone just stood there and did everything he said. I approached my coursemates and asked them why they let a 鈥渂ig olodo boy鈥� tell them what to do. 

A couple of his friends heard this and reported what I said to him. He was mad that I called him an olodo and turned his attention to me. He said a lot of things 鈥� about how badly he would deal with me. I don鈥檛 know where the strength came from but I stood up to him.听

In the heat of the moment, I didn鈥檛 realise that my coursemates were asking me to keep quiet. Word was that he was a cultist. Things calmed down only because one of my coursemates called his brother, and for some reason, he was able to call him off.

I wasn鈥檛 scared of him at the time, but thinking about it sometimes makes me wonder what I was thinking and where the surge of confidence came from.

A good experience at university and other institutions of higher learning revolves around valuable information. For many people, this process starts before they get their offer of admission. However, there鈥檚 only so much anyone can know when they are not in the school community. The moment they become a part of the community, new information often comes to light. 

This week, I asked students at 5 different universities to talk about the most important information they wish they had about their schools or courses before they got admitted. 

Favour, Covenant University – I wish I knew I could get in trouble even if I did nothing wrong

I heard a lot of stories about Covenant University before I got in, and I thought I was ready for whatever the school was going to throw at me. For a moment there, I thought people were reaching when they talked about how regimented life at the school was. They treated us nicely when we first got in, but the moment we had our matriculation ceremony, a lot of things became real. 

It was interesting to see how they made chapel services more important than classes, but I didn鈥檛 stress myself too much about that. However, it was scary to find out that I could get in trouble for doing nothing wrong. 

During one of the chapel services, I led the praise and worship session. I was so into it that day and there was a lot of energy. After the session ended, one of the hall officers approached me and asked me to give him the name of the drug I took before the service started. I thought it was a joke at first, but it wasn鈥檛. He whipped out an offence form and asked me to fill it. In the end, he promised that he would come back to fetch me and take me for a drug test. 

The story travelled fast and it got to the Dean of Students. Fortunately, he didn鈥檛 think I was guilty of drug use. He looked for me and apologised about the whole situation, promising to take care of it. I guess he did because nothing happened after that.

Anyway, it would have been great to know that getting admitted to study at this university isn鈥檛 a problem but staying till the end of the 4 or 5 years is. There were 209 students in my class when I came in. At the moment, there are only 67 students in the same class. The rest were either expelled or dropped out of school.

I would still make the choice to come to school here, though. I believe that the advantages of studying here outweigh the disadvantages.

Tamilore, Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, 鈥�  My school community has no power, and nobody told me

My dad sold the idea of going to university in my hometown to me and I agreed. I wrote UTME, applied to the school, and I got in. 

That should be where this story ends, but there was a surprise waiting for me. The town of Okitipupa where the school is located has no . The university runs on generators 100% of the time.

Coming to terms with this was a big struggle. I didn鈥檛 have a generator when I was in 100 level, so I used to go to a hotel close to where I lived to charge my devices.  The worst thing that came with this power situation was the heat. There were lots of uncomfortable nights that could have been mitigated if there was power. 

In my third year, I bought a generator. I have to spend more to fund this lifestyle, but the quality of my life has been better. However, I wish someone had told me about the non-existent power situation before I got in. It wouldn鈥檛 have changed much, but it would have been good to know.

Fisola, University of Ilorin 鈥� My life would have been easier if I knew the university wasn鈥檛 as liberal as I thought

My first roommate in university was fun, but she always found a way to get on my last nerve. We were both Yoruba. I am not a fluent speaker. She left me out of most conversations when her friends were in the room. The way they went about it, I couldn鈥檛 fit in with them because I couldn鈥檛 speak the language as well as they did. 

When I eventually moved out of the room and the campus to the college of health sciences, I found out something new. I realised that the thinking of some students at the university was deeply rooted in patriarchy. In my second year, I was in a group with these guys for a class project. I thought collaboration mattered here. I tried to bring everyone together to exchange ideas and find out the best way to execute the project. However, the boys in the group didn鈥檛 take kindly to this. According to them, that role wasn鈥檛 mine to take because of my gender. They were telling me to know my place and stay in it. This was a big culture shock that I didn鈥檛 sign up for. 

I expected the university to be a place where everyone could be the best version of themselves without dealing with any form of subjugation. I got that wrong. My life would have been easier if I knew that before I got in.

Mojolaoluwa, University of Lagos 鈥� I wish I researched my department before I accepted the admission offer 

I applied to University of Lagos to study Medical Laboratory Science, but I didn鈥檛 get it. Instead, I got Human Kinetics and Health Education. The Health Education bit drew me in, and I thought I could do with it. 

I could not.

The first class I had at school was at a swimming pool. The scary part was that I had to dive into the pool. I almost drowned in a pool when I was nine years old, which made me develop a phobia for swimming. Now, I had to swim to pass a course. 

Also, I hated all forms of sports, but the Human Kinetics part of what I鈥檓 studying requires me to participate in a lot of sports. There was an exam I practised so hard for. It was a track and field course, and I was supposed to do a triple jump and a long jump. I鈥檇 barely started running before I tripped and twisted my ankle. Also, when it was time for the Javelin throw, my stance was so bad that the javelin travelled a short distance before it fell flat. This was an exam, and if there wasn鈥檛 a theory part, I probably would have failed the exam. 

I had no idea that this course would be very physical and I wish I had done more research. I probably would have still accepted the offer, but the reality of it wouldn鈥檛 hit heavily as it did.

Precious,  Michael Okpara University of Agriculture 鈥�  It would have been great to know that I wasn鈥檛 coming here to solve problems 

I wrote JAMB three times before I got admitted to study Mechanical Engineering at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture. I was disillusioned with the whole process at this point. When my provisional admission offer arrived in my mail, I had a brief moment when I thought about deleting the mail, but I got over myself, accepted the offer and went off to school. 

I had many thoughts about how my time at the university would go, but I didn鈥檛 know I was coming here to cram scientific formulas to reproduce during exams. All my life, I thought Mechanical Engineering was about creating value and solving problems, but these didn’t happen. 

There was this school project I had to do in my third year. I was supposed to build a machine, but I had no idea how to get it started. For starters, I couldn鈥檛 even weld anything together. Not that I didn鈥檛 want to, but there was little room for practicals. Before that time, we had a class on welding and the technician wouldn鈥檛 even let us near the tools. According to him, he wanted only people who had welding experience because he didn鈥檛 want anyone to damage the machine. Yes, this happened in a supposed place of learning. 

I think I would have prepared myself better if I had known that I wasn鈥檛 coming here to solve any problems. And maybe I would have made different choices too.

Are you currently studying in Nigeria or elsewhere and have a story to share about your life in school? Please take a minute to fill this  and we will reach out to you ASAP.

Can鈥檛 get enough Aluta and Chill?听Check back every Thursday at 9 AM for a new episode. Find other stories in the series听here.