•Report by Halimah Olamide
The current Naira scarcity has left many Nigerian university students stranded with little or no hope of getting cash to travel.
The National University Commission had last week ordered all universities to shut down till after the general elections.
Investigations by the NPO Reports from weekend to Monday showed that many campuses are witnessing shortage of cash in the banks that have mini-branches or cash offices within the universities nationwide.
At the University of Lagos on Monday, many students were seen on queue waiting for opportunities for cash.
A student who spoke with the NPO Reports on phone said hundreds is his colleagues do not know how they will leave the campus according to the NUC directive.
A huge number of students of the University of Ilorin were seen queueing at the ATM stands on campus whilst some shared their experiences and struggles to get cash to travel back home.
Narrating her experience, with the NPO Reports on Monday, Khadijat Usman, a 300 level History Education student of the University of Ilorin, lamented that she arrived the bank area on campus as early as 4am.
Usman stated that she met people already at the area on getting there and was shocked. “Some people were met sleeping on the floor even in the harsh and cold weather.
“I left my hostel and got to the bank area as early as 4 in the morning and i met so many people on getting there.
She further stated that the ATM machines started dispensing around 9am and they were instructed by the bank authorities that the minimum withdrawal fee is N4000.
“The ATM started dispensing like around 9 o clock since 4 that i got there, only for us to be told we could only withdraw 4000 naira and nothing more.”
“As at 9 o clock too, there were already up to 1000 people at the bank all just because of cash to go home.”