Please enjoy reading this:
THE MIRACLE OF THE TOILET
The University of
Nigeria, the first indigenous university in Nigeria, and certainly one of the
most prestigious. With all the accolades and the impressive motto – “To
restore the dignity of man”, a first time visitor might not be blamed for
having high expectations.
However the
reality at the Nsukka campus where I am studying electronic engineering is
quite sorrowful. I could write
volumes on the many problems plaguing the school but I will touch on one in
particular, one that students can do
nothing to avoid – the toilets.
Before I first
arrived at the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), I thought I knew what a
dirty toilet was, even if I had not seen the worst, then I could at least
imagine it. But now, after my first year of study at UNN, I have finally
been convinced that it can be very dangerous to be over confident in one’s own
opinion. No matter how solid I felt my opinion was, witnessing the miracle
of how the toilets in school which by far surpassed my
wildest imaginations of a filthy toilet somehow managed to get worse was enough
to convince me that I needed
to keep an open mind (and blocked nostrils).
Never before in my
life have I been afraid of using a toilet, irritated? Yes, disgusted?
Certainly, but never afraid. So it was a totally new experience for me
when I was granted the opportunity to witness the miracle of the toilet as
it occurred at my hostel of residence.
Eating at some
point became a problem, because I realized that as long as food goes in, then
inevitably something just has to come out too. Anytime this dreaded call
of nature came, it was met with a heavy heart and so after preparations,
good well wishes from roommates I traversed the now seemingly long (not
to forget dirty) corridors with as brave a face as I could put up as I
went to face my fate. From a few metres away from the toilet a slightly stronger
aroma than the one around the rest of the hostel filled the air.
Within the toilet, with limited oxygen, I had to quickly choose the deep
blue sea over the devil in the form of a dirty toilet over dirtier ones.
Tiptoe, tiptoe… to select the least urine flooded part of the floor and hope
that my footwear would be enough protection for my feet.
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Totally Opposite this! |
In conclusion, I
would like to extend an invitation to anyone looking for something extreme to
do. Since we don’t bungee
jumping, sky diving or similar things in Nigeria a few weeks with the UNN
toilets are sure to
push you to the
edge.
Ekene Umeike
9th November 2004
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