Abdulrasheed Akere
Abdulwahab Fatiu has never traveled out of the boundary of his state, until he was offered admission to study History and International Studies at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, (UDUS).
Fatiu, in his late twentieth, mourned several challenges he had been facing from the first day he left home for school.
Fatiu was born and bred in Ilorin — the capital of Kwara State in the north central; he attended primary and secondary school in his hometown but could not secure a tertiary institution’s admission into the University of Ilorin (better by far). For the first time, he journeyed to Sokoto state in the northwest on Saturday, May 06, 2023 to pursue a degree certificate.
“I sat for more than sixteen hours on the bus, it got to the time that I had to sit with one side of my bottom, the bus also spoiled and we pushed it out of the water. Upon reaching UDUS, they proved the theft was right by stealing my jerrican that I brought from home,” Fatiu narrated his ordeal.
He added that his experience of the Sokoto weather is even worse. “The second day that I arrived at UDUS, I slept in the afternoon and started to regret why I came here. I was asking myself what did I came to do in UDUS?
“Truth be told, Sokoto is very tough, the heat is too much and exceeds my expectations. If my friend that is in the 300 level told me about it, I wouldn’t have come here. Until I reached here before I realized that students are going through a lot here. If I had the opportunity to leave Danfodiyo for another school, I will leave without thinking twice because nothing is giving me joy here,” he lamented.
The hot weather often makes Fatiu reach the lecture hall late. He explained that, “Attending a lecture in the afternoon is not easy at all, we don’t just have options. I always fear to enter the sun any time I have a lecture which makes me arrive lecture late.”
WorldData.info states that, “The climate in Nigeria is very warm, with an annual average of 33 degrees, but has few truly tropical and sticky months. It is warm to hot all year round, inviting bathing at average water temperatures of 27 degrees. The warmest and also rainiest greaster region is North West. The coldest is South East. Due to less rain, the best time for traveling is from November to April. The most rain days occur from from June to October.”
In August 03, 2022 Nigeria Informer, a renowned information website published a report on ten hottest states in Nigeria, the report noted that Sokoto is the hottest state in Nigeria, followed by Adamawa, Borno, Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, Zamfara, Kebbi, Gombe and Bauchi. The report read thus: “Sokoto state is Nigeria’s hottest state and region with temperature of 28.3°C (82.9°F). Sokoto state is yearlong hot or warm. Rainfall is very rare in Sokoto and heavy sunshine is experienced in the state. The weather condition in Sokoto is mostly described as harsh and strong too.”
Fatiu added that, “most of the private hostels are not well built, they are built as if it is an animal’s house, this also culminates the heat. Their toilets are also not clean and protected which can make one contact disease if care is not taken. Also, there is no light in our private hostels, I haven’t seen light in the hostel, we are using money to charge.”
Not only Fatiu is facing challenges, Yusuf Musa, who gets admission to study Political Science is also facing electricity and weather challenges. He told this reporter that his phone had never shutdown at home but his phone and power bank are now used getting off in Sokoto; it has up to seven days that he set eyes on light in his off-campus hostel.
Musa said that Sokoto weather is extremely hot but he has to endure it because of his vision. “It is not easy but I am enduring it due to what I want to achieve. I’m just adapting to the heat because I don’t have an option. I have started it and cannot give up the vision just like that,” he said.
Just like Fatiu, Olaboye Shakirat has also never journeyed out of her state in the Nigeria southwest until now, she was offered admission to study Microbiology in the faculty of science. She lamented that, “I never knew there could be a place as hot as this, their lifestyle here is out of my experience; I wonder how people are surviving the imbalance in the state’s weather condition.”
“Before, I vowed not to be going home at the end of every semester due to the long and stressful journey but I have changed my mind now,” she added.
Lecturer Reacts
A lecturer at UDUS, Dr. Ibrahim Tafinta from the Biological Science department said, “It is always like that, when one leaves home to pursue something either knowledge or business one has to face some challenges, one must endure it because of the merit attached to it. Actually, there’s no place like home, but once you leave home, you have to gather all the momentum you need to actualize your dream.”
He agreed that the weather of Sokoto is hot and harsh and implore students to wear light clothes that will reduce the heat and permit ventilation.
“Since you are staying for a few years, you should try to adapt and study well to avoid spill over that is liable to elongate your stay on campus. Reduce the rate you exercise and move around on campus to avoid much sweat,” he advised.
About the reporter: Abdulrasheed Akere is a 300 level student at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto UDUS.
