WELFARISM VS. FACADE: SETTING THE PRIORITIES RIGHT.

It is no longer news that being a student at Lagos State University (LASU) involves a great deal of hard work (shege). However, amidst these challenges, students are confronted with even more pressing issues: the failure to fulfill the promise of regulated transportation bus fares and the near absence of trash cans on campus. This article aims to address these two critical issues and draw the attention of the individuals or authorities responsible for resolving these glaring problems within the LASU community.

TRANSPORTATION

LASU Conscience recalls that on Friday, January 24th, 2025, a broadcast by the Lagos State University Students’ Union (LASUSU) Public Relations Officer titled “LASUSU REGULATES BUS FARE STRUCTURE” took LASUites by surprise. Many students were optimistic that their transportation woes had finally been resolved by the “Joldie dey for you administration.” Alas,Despite the loud announcement by the students’ union, the lack of enforcement has only exacerbated the transportation difficulties students face. One would expect that the failure to implement the regulated fare structure would have been addressed with the same urgency and volume as the initial announcement.

Our interviews with various students showed that LASUSU’s promise was a fluke. Some of the testimonies from students include: Akinyemi Moyinoluwa, who said, “Buses are scarce, and the hike in prices is infuriating. The normal price to my bus stop is usually ₦400, but yesterday we were being charged ₦600/₦700—almost double the price, which was unbudgeted. As a student, I only have a certain amount to spend daily. The time I got home yesterday was very dangerous for a lady.” She lamented.

Mumeenah Abdulrafiu said, “I have been trekking since Monday till Wednesday (27th-29th) because I couldn’t find any bus. There were a lot of students at the bus station, and I would rather trek than wait for the buses to come.” These testimonies from students are just a few of the many terrible experiences that students are faced with since Friday up until today. There is no guarantee that this will stop soon unless drastic action are taken.

TRASH CANS

Who would have thought that the best state university in West Africa would struggle with providing an adequate number of trash cans on campus? Unfortunately, this is the reality we find ourselves in, as our representatives seem more focused on “noise than action.”

The scarcity of trash cans on campus is a glaring issue. A simple purchase of snacks and a walk through various faculties will provide first-hand evidence of this long-ignored problem.

The sight of litters scattered across the campus is a testament to the neglect of this basic yet essential facility. Testimonials from students include: An anonymous source who said, “Even at various pavilions in different faculties, it is hard to see a trash can. As a result, students end up littering the whole place with whatever they are snacking on.”

Another student revealed how he finds it embarrassing to throw trash on the floor after eating. Due to the lack of trash cans, he is left with no other option than to put it in his bag, which is quite uncomfortable.

How befitting is it for a well dressed student to finish with an oily snack and in the bid to not litter the school environment, keeps it in his/her pocket? It’s outrightly irritating!

In an interview with the President of the Lagos State University Sustainable Development Goals Youth Club (LASU-SDG), Elizabeth Adepoju, she said, “We are aware of the lack of trash cans on campus. We’ve been working tirelessly to achieve this. Financial constraints have been hindering us from advancing despite our efforts.

We reached out to the previous LASUSU President, Comrade Tobun, who referred us to the LASUSU Welfare Director at the time. I reached out to him in his office and had a discussion on how to tackle the trash can issue and the meeting was unproductive”She explained.

She further stated that the LASU SDG Youth Club have put efforts in place to see to the availability of trash cans on campus while asking for financial assistance to aid their efforts.

Currently, LASU SDG Youth Club has taken up the issue and partnered with a brand known as GZI, an organization that recycles waste cans like malt cans and drink cans. “Our plan is to utilize and recycle waste products over time. GZI has given us a receptacle batch, which is currently at the Senate building at the Centre for the actualization of the Sustainable Development Goals. We haven’t mounted that receptacle batch.”

These testimonies are just the tip of the iceberg of what many students faced with on a daily basis due to the absence of trash cans on the Lagos State University campus. According to the LASUSU Constitution it is necessary to remind the Welfare Director, Comrade Balogun Abdulrazaq, of his duties, in case he has forgotten them in such a short time.

According to the LASUSU Constitution (2022), the Welfare Director is explicitly tasked with ensuring the welfare of students and maintaining a conducive campus environment.

The constitution states: “The Welfare Director – [main campus] shall:(a) Be responsible for the welfare of the Union members. (b) Ensure that the University environment is conducive and healthy for learning. (c) Supervise and manage: i. The Union Shops ii. Trade fairs and Exhibitions.(d) Monitor the use of all the Union properties and facilities under the approval of the SEC. (e) Carry out other duties as may be directed by the SEC, SPC, or the provisions of this Constitution. (f) Be held liable for any act of omission or commission that may arise in the execution of his/her duties.”

From the constitution quoted above, it is evident that the pressing issues of transportation and the lack of trash cans rest on the shoulders of the Welfare Director. However, it appears he is more focused on events than the welfare of the students he was elected to represent.

Every reasonable and accountable leader would act after implementing a rule or law, he or she is expected to follow up and receive feedback to ensure that the rules are being followed.

However, it appears the Welfare Director is too busy with the excitement of the “LASUSU Food Fest” to follow up on the resolution of the students’ union and the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), LASU Chapter, regarding the regulation of the bus fare structure, which saw variations in prices to different bus stops in the LASU community.

The idea of the LASUSU Food Fest is appealing, and a considerable initiative, but the question is, after gathering thousands of students for the event, where do they dispose of their dirt? Is it still on the campus ground, or provisions are made for that?

Even after the event, how do these students get back home? Is it with the same hiked prices and limited public transportation?

Interestingly, the LASUSU Food Fest has been in the faces of students who are more pressed about the stress of staying for hours at the LASU main gate or Iba gate to get buses to take them back to their hostels.

This is a more direct and energy-draining problem the student populace is going through at the moment. It is more like frying the meat before the rice. Between the rice and the chicken, which is more liable to save an hungered soul?

On a good day when buses are available, they are always at exorbitant prices, leaving some students with no choice but to trek or risk their allowance.

This article intends to bring the union back on track so we can set our priorities right and know what is primary and secondary. After all, “the welfarism of the students is the ultimate goal.” If the SDG can take up the matter, why can’t the Welfare Director?

📷: PrideofLagos