By Faith Ajewole
We often see trees being felled and consider the immediate changes to the environment, but rarely pay attention to the ripple effects such actions have on the people who inhabit those spaces. What should be a period of intense and focused preparation for upcoming examinations has instead devolved into a gruelling endurance test against relentless noise, sleep deprivation and displaced wildlife among Queenites.
The Symphony of Disruption: Noise Pollution at the Doorstep
For Queenites, the comfort of their hostel rooms has been significantly compromised. At the very doorsteps of student residences, fallen trees are being aggressively processed into planks. Accompanying this activity is the incessant, grating and piercing roar of cutting and filing machines.
The situation is particularly concerning because these operations continue for the better part of the day, leaving students with virtually no opportunity to enjoy some quiet within their rooms, let alone concentrate on their studies. WAt a time when students are preparing for examinations and require adequate rest and concentration, this disruption is particularly unfortunate.
“The timing could not be worse than this. I literally returned from an exhausting TDB early this morning, hoping to catch some sleep before returning to my examination preparations, only to be met with deafening buzzing sounds that drill deep into my focus and peace of mind. I could not sleep; I could not read. And I couldn’t do anything, and my head was pounding with a serious headache due to the high intensity of the noise. Honestly, this is really sad, especially for Queenites on this block. The noise is just unbearable,” a concerned student says.
The loss of environmental serenity has directly translated into a loss of peace of mind for students. Sleep-deprived residents, already battling headaches and exhaustion, are pushed to their limits as they struggle to contain frustrations that are fast becoming untenable.
The animal problem
As if the relentless noise were not enough, the ecological disruption caused by the felling of these trees has triggered another unexpected problem: the displacement of wildlife. Animals that once called the tree canopies home have been rendered homeless, forcing them to seek refuge in the closest alternative available: student rooms.
Squirrels now leap and hop freely through bedrooms, turning private spaces into zones of anxiety. Midnight screams have become commonplace as startled students wake up to unexpected roommates. Far from being a whimsical encounter with nature, this has become a distressing reality that deprives students of the basic comfort and sense of safety they deserve in the spaces they pay to inhabit.
An Urgent Appeal to the University Management
The students of the University of Ibadan are not inherently opposed to Campus maintenance or infrastructural activities. However, the current execution of these operations is severely flawed and deeply inconsiderate of students’ well-being.
We are therefore making an earnest appeal to the University of Ibadan Management to consider the following:
1. Relocate the Processing Zone: Move the cutting, filing and processing of these logs away from the immediate vicinity of student residences to a more appropriate, non-residential area on campus.
2. Suspend Operations Temporarily: Alternatively, suspend the processing activities entirely until students conclude their final examinations, allowing the work to resume thereafter without further disrupting their academic preparations.
Our rooms should be safe havens that foster academic excellence, not environments of distress.
