By Ali Hope

At a press briefing held on Monday, November 17, 2025, the Vice Chancellor of Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Professor Aloysius-Michaels Okolie, gave updates on ongoing hostel renovations and plans for improved student accommodation.

During the briefing, Deputy News Editor, Ali Hope Onyinyechi, thanked the Vice Chancellor on behalf of hostellers for the steady water supply since resumption.

She then asked about hostel renovations, explaining that many rooms in the hostels have bad lamp holders, spoilt bulbs, faulty sockets, and fans that no longer work, not because students cannot buy bulbs, but because the fittings themselves are bad.

In his response, the Vice Chancellor said the school started with Noca Hostel because it was in very poor condition.

“When we checked round the hostels, we found that Noca Hostel was very bad. That is why we started with Noca. We need to take things gradually because of money.”

He added that the Noca Hostel renovation would be completed before the middle December

The VC said the hostel problem is not only in ESUT but in many universities in Nigeria. However, ESUT does not want to follow the negative trend. He explained that the school has finished all the papers needed with the hostel vendors and is waiting for final approval to start building more hostels.

He stressed that the university will lay the foundation for new hostels this week to be completed in 12 months adding that other hostels on campus are already being repaired.

Announcing that due to increasing quotas granted to university in many programmes,  the VC said it is important to build more accommodation through Public Private partnership model.

The VC reminded students that ESUT does not directly manage the hostels. He said the vendors are supposed to provide some services, but many of them fail to do their work.

He explained that ESUT still pays for many things, such as new foams, solar streetlights, and diesel for electricity.

“If vendors collect 60%, they must do their job. If they cannot deliver, they should leave.”

The VC encouraged students to report any problems or vendor’s failures to the Dean of Student Affairs for appropriate action