Water Drama; Only In Alexander Brown Hall

Water is something that humans cannot do without. We eat, drink, and pee water. We use it to take a bath, cook, brush our teeth, and clean our bums. Humans are made of 60% water. Water covers more than 71% of the Earth’s surface. With these kinds of statistics, water should not be a rare commodity. It should be made available to everyone. It is a human right to have access to clean water without it costing an arm and a leg.

I introduce you to Alexander Brown Hall, ABH, in the great University College Hospital. This is a place that houses some of the greatest medical minds the world has ever seen, and is renowned for training some of the best medical students. This is one of the few places on earth where a stable source of clean water is a scarcity.

Alexander Brown Hall is a quasi-modern hostel that accommodates medical students, dental students, physiotherapists in training, and medical laboratory science students. In such an environment, with so many medical professionals in training, one would think that water would be the least of their problems. Nay! It is a major concern and a constant source of drama. Today’s drama about water takes us to the female blocks of Alexander Brown Hall.

The drama begins with the recently called-off JOHESU strike. The strike caused a reduction in power supply to the hospital and, in turn, Alexander Brown Hall. This caused a shortage of the already scarce water in the hostel. A solution appeared in the form of Errandly, a platform where the residents could make requests to one another for an agreed-upon price.

Soon, requests such as "Offering 500 naira for one keg of water" became common. This brought relief to the residents of ABH, especially the females, who were more than willing to pay to avoid the stress of having to look for water in an environment where it could not readily be found. And thus, a status quo was established.

Fast forward to many weeks later, JOHESU called off their strike. Power supply was restored to the hospital, and the established status quo quickly crumbled. Before Errandly, people used to get water from the cleaners. You would pay a certain amount, and the cleaners would search heaven and Alexander Brown Hall to get you water. Due to the JOHESU strike, they were not allowed to perform these tasks. Once the JOHESU strike was called off, they resumed their activities.

The drama started when the cleaners got a whiff that the amounts the students offered the "runners" on Errandly were more than two times the amount offered for a single keg of water. The cleaners charge 200 naira for a keg. The usual charge on Errandly is 500 naira. The cleaners, therefore, decided to change the fee to 300 naira per keg.

Now, to the casual reader, you may think it is just a 100 naira increase — you used to pay 500 naira. Allow me to educate you. The average girl in Alexander Brown Hall has a drum that can take about 125 litres of water. Some have two of these drums. This means to fill a drum now, you will have to spend 1,500 naira and then some. If you are prudent, a drum can last you a week, but remember we are in Alexander Brown Hall, where your major source of water as a girl is that drum. Reportedly, a drum can last 4–5 days on good days. With a little mental mathematics, in a month, a girl can spend at least 9,000 naira on just water. This is not including drinking water.

This has caused quite a stir in the female blocks of Alexander Brown Hall.

What do the males think of this? An individual who wishes to remain anonymous has been quoted as saying,

"Well, it seems like fetching kegs of water and climbing stairs is now my physical fitness activity".

A girl from one of these blocks, who also wishes to remain anonymous, said, "I would rather register at a gym than lift 25L kegs up six flights of stairs every day".

On another end of the spectrum, many females have voiced their opinions, with many agreeing and sympathizing with the cleaners. This group has no issue with the increase and advocates that the cleaners are rendering a service and so should be allowed to dictate their price.

The latest news from this investigation reveals that the current price remains at 200 naira per keg.

Water causing such drama can only happen in Alexander Brown Hall. 

Olajide Olamide