The concept of 'Home' is one of the greatest tangibles and intangibles known to man. It has always had a special place in the heart of man. Home is a gathering place, shelter, and sanctuary, providing escape from the busyness and intrusiveness of the world. It is the abiding place of the affections, especially of the domestic affections. A house that has been made home-like, to suit the comfort of those who live there. So, it is of no surprise when people regard their home as ‘home is where the heart is’ or better still ‘home sweet home’. It shows the affection and connection and individual have attached with the concept of 'Home'.
In Nnamdi Azikiwe hall of residence, the concept is no different. The mantra 'Zik is home' is a popular saying among Zikites as part of their usual fun and banter. And it has become a regular anthem through which students profess their love for the hall of residence. But the big question still remains, is Zik truly a home?
To start with, for a place to truly serve its purpose has a home, it must not just provide shelter, but also provide comfort or at least provide the basic amenities that will drive the comfort of the place. A good home must provide basic amenities such as shelter, water and electricity. In Zikhall although the former is available the latter (the last two) has been a constant cause of concern. The non availability of water and the constant electricity outage in most of the floors leaves so much to be desired, making the appellation of home difficult to ascribe to the hall.
Just recently, last week sunday, the hall experienced its usual water crisis as there was no single water running through out the hall, even though there was electricity through out the day. Students were forced to move out of the hall to source for water, with some having to go neighbouring halls to have their bath and do their chores.
It will interest you to know that this crisis ran throughout the week as students were forced to go to other halls to get water as they prepare to go to their classes during the week. This actions provoke jeering response from the neighboring most especially Indy where an individual chastised Zikites for always alluding to the fact that 'Zik is home', but yet they do not have stable water supply.
This individual cannot be faulted for his point of view, because although we pride ourselves as being the most vibrant hall of residence in the whole of the University, we lack the basic amenities to back up this illusion. This situation can be likened to the state of Nigeria who prides itself as the 'Giant of Africa', but cannot match up to it's African counterparts such as Ghana and South Africa, interms of providing basic amenities to it's citizens. This situation has only led to the constant mockery of the Country's image, which it's citizens find hard to defend every single day.
Like the case of Nigeria, Zikhall seems to be no different. The halls serves as a perfect reflection of the country with the standard of living continuing to deteriorate due to lack of basic amenities. The hall serving as a gateway to other halls of residence, there is little to no hiding place for the hall's deficiency. As each and every passing day, there is constant complaints about the lack of and maintenance of basic amenities in the hall, with electricity and water being the common problems.
As it has been highlighted earlier, it will be difficult to ascribe to Zikhall the appellation of 'Home', with the constant problems that has always been the bane of the hall. The need to provide comfort for its residence students leaves much to be desired and
it now begs the question, like the assertion 'Zik is home' ascribed, is Zikhall truly a home?
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