The management of Osun State University has clarified the reason it prohibited cooking in the school hostels across the six campuses.
During a press briefing at the institution’s multi-purpose hall at the main campus, Osogbo, on Monday the Vice-Chancellor of the Osun State University, Professor Labode Popoola said the decision was for the safety of the students.
The VC explained that cooking is prohibited due to some dangers that might emanate from gas or any cooking materials.
Recounting some of the fire explosion from students’ cooking in some Nigerian institutions, “104 people each with a gas cylinder in one complex that’s minacious. It also affects negatively the maintenance of the structure.” the VC explained.
“In the house of residence, it never done in Universities, with the fact that people are doing it somewhere should not make it right.
“We’ve had negative different experiences from the past from UI, OAU, BUK, fire explosion arisen from student cooking. That’s why we conclude not allowing students from cooking in the school hostels.
“We encourage eateries to relocate to school facilities and prepare meals for students, we assure the quality of the meals and regulate the price to N200 to N250 per meal.
“Osun State University did not start as a residential institution and I know the challenges we have faced over the years, due to ritual killings, cultism, students being manhandled, that’s why we decided to go residential. We started building hostels with our little savings. Now, each of our six campuses has 104 capacity hostels which we compulsory for fresh students to provide security, to expose the students to the true university cultures. We took over some private hostels because we couldn’t meet the capacity.” Prof Labode asserted.
