ABSCOHTECH Hostels in Deplorable Condition — A Call for Urgent Government Intervention
The Abia State College of Health Science and Management Technology, Aba (ABSCOHTECH), is currently facing a serious infrastructural and sanitary crisis. The students’ hostels, where hundreds of future health professionals reside, are in an appalling state, dirty, dilapidated, and grossly unhealthy. A brief tour of the hostels reveals shocking neglect: broken facilities, leaking roofs, cracked walls, and non-functional toilets.
The environment is unhygienic and unsafe, unfit for habitation by anyone let alone students being trained in health and environmental sciences.What makes this situation even more troubling is the irony, this is a College of Health Technology, an institution expected to uphold and model the highest standards of hygiene and public health. Yet, the living conditions provided to its students are the complete opposite of what the school teaches and represents.
Despite the decay, reports indicate that students are still charged hostel fees of ₦45,000 per session, with more than 20 students cramped into a single room. The conditions are dehumanizing and contradict every principle of health and safety education.
ABSCOHTECH is a state-owned institution offering vital programs that train health professionals who will serve in hospitals, laboratories, and public health institutions across Abia and beyond. Sadly, the poor state of its hostels undermines the quality of life, morale, and training of these future health workers.Some months ago, members of the Abia State House of Assembly visited the institution for an oversight function, yet it appears the situation in the hostels has not received the urgent attention it deserves.
It is therefore imperative that the Abia State Government led by His Excellency, Dr. Alex Otti OFR, alongside the Commissioner for Works, the Commissioner for Education, and the Special Advisers on Public and Students’ Affairs, intervene without delay. The current management of ABSCOHTECH, under the leadership of Rector Mr. Aloysius Ekeneme, must also be held accountable for ensuring that student welfare and health are prioritized.
The male and female hostels have reportedly remained in deplorable condition for years, even before the current administration began its reforms across the state. The facilities are uninhabitable, no running water, no functional toilets, and no proper waste management system. These are the same students who will one day be entrusted with safeguarding public health.
The situation at ABSCOHTECH is not just a matter of neglect; it is a public health concern. Urgent government attention is needed to restore dignity, safety, and sanity to the living conditions of students at this vital institution.
By Orji Daniel
Public Affairs Analyst & Advocate for Good Governance
