Lawyer Hamza Suhuyini, a member of the National Democratic Congress communications team, has raised concerns about poor sanitation and harsh living conditions in student hostels and traditional halls across university campuses in Ghana.
Speaking on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana programme with Moro Awudu on May 8, Suhuyini reflected on his time as a student leader at the University of Ghana, describing the deplorable state of toilet facilities in some halls and hostels.
He said students often had to endure unhygienic conditions because of broken sanitation systems and lack of running water.
“No, go to the washroom, go to the facility. I hate using those places,” he said.
Suhuyini recalled that during his days at the university, students coined the phrase “SOS”, meaning “shit on shit”, to describe the state of some toilet facilities.
“The toilets were so bad that when you went there, you had to manage with papers and continue using them because there was no proper sanitation,” he said.
According to him, the situation was not limited to traditional halls but also affected some private hostels around the campus.
“There was no water flowing, so you could not flush. Students had to find ways to manage under those conditions,” he added.
Suhuyini said the problem still persists on some campuses, with students living in overcrowded and unsanitary environments despite paying high accommodation fees.
“Today, some public toilets in Ghana appear more decent than the toilet facilities in many private hostels,” he stated.
“Students are living under terrible conditions. Some even sleep close to toilet areas. Yet these hostel owners continue collecting huge sums of money while providing poor services.”
He called on President John Dramani Mahama to intervene and help address the situation.
“Politics aside, I think all of us should take advantage of this platform and appeal to His Excellency President John Dramani Mahama to take this matter seriously,” he said.
“This situation is unacceptable.”
His comments come amid growing public concern over rising hostel fees charged by private hostel operators near university campuses.
The debate intensified after the National Union of Ghana Students petitioned the Rent Control Department to investigate alleged excessive rent charges and arbitrary fee increases.
The Acting Commissioner of the Rent Control Department has since visited several private university hostels to assess the concerns raised by students.
