By Richard Ngevao
Students of Njala University, Bo campus, have expressed disgust and dismay over the “appallingly poor” toilet facility on their campus which they say has forced them to resort to unconventional methods of attending to the call of nature.
They appeal to the college and central government authorities to “come to our aid or we will all fall seriously sick before we complete our studies”.
Talking to Politico on their Towama campus, dozens of students who prefer anonymity, point to the lack of a lavatory which they say not only poses a health hazard to them but has caused “an eyesore” because human faeces could be found behind some of the hostels.
The students say most of the flush toilets in their hostels are not functional and the few that are cannot be used because the campus lacks running water. They say that at night they have to attend to nature on pieces of paper and throw the faeces in the nearby bush or in some of the pit latrines.
The situation is particularly poignant at Block C where Politico saw human faeces strewn behind the building. It has the worst toilet situation leading to the redefining of the word “Layering” to mean students throwing faeces wrapped in paper piling up in layers.
In one of the dormitory-like pit latrine blocks Politico inspected, the holes are dug in rows and users see each other because the building is not compartmentalised, something the students say makes it unusable. “We are adults and we cannot do communal toileting” on student told Politico.
Female students contacted on campus say they have been forced to defecate in containers in their rooms and dispose of the content in a pit latrine which they say is “unfit for human use”.
Rather strangely, the President of the Njala Students' Union, Bo Campus denies any knowledge of the prevailing condition.
Speaking to Politico, Serry Musa says no student has officially made any such report to him.
The Deputy Vice Chancellor of the college however admits they are facing challenges which he says are not peculiar to the Bo campus of Njala University.
Speaking to Politico, Professor Patrick Squire says “water is a problem all over the university” prompting them to invest in pit latrines two of which he says were built for the male students and one for the females. He says he expects them to use pit latrines as he does at home when the water system flunks. He says there is a meeting this week on the water situation on campus as they had already raised it with the State House Chief of Staff during a recent visit to the main university campus at Njala.
Prof Squire says the hostels were built a long time ago and the pipes have corroded needing an overhaul. “Until that happens they have to use what they have until they get what they want” he concludes.
Residents of the wider Towama community, where the college is located, told Politico that they want the college administration to deal with the situation “because some of the students come and use our own overstretched facilities or some just throw faeces nearby”.
