ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN AWO HALL: ON DUE REGISTRATION FOR STUDENT VENDORS

By: Aliyya Hussain and Grace Adepoju

In the grand scheme of things, Obafemi Awolowo Hall has been at the center lately. Whether it’s the wee hours of the morning or the dead of the night, messages on the respective Awo Hall WhatsApp groups remain constant. Most conversations involve an Awoite eagerly asking who sells a particular item. This is usually followed by a reply, ‘DM’. One can’t help but wonder what goes on in these DMs.
 
A memo, signed by the Hall Warden was disseminated on February 12, 2023. It included the ban on POS businesses, the time limit for waterboys, and a notice to unduly registered businesses among students within the hall. Refusal to obey these rules would result in the payment of a fine and a week’s suspension from the hall. This development stirred up concerns among Awo Hall residents, especially due to the cash crunch happening in Nigeria at the time of the memo’s release.

Another memo was published on March 22, 2023, at the onset of the second semester of the 2021/2022 session. The memo reiterated to all student vendors that “due registration is to rent a shop in the hall where goods will be displayed.”
 
Advertising messages were instantly banned from the hall’s WhatsApp groups, which were followed by group admins removing all advertising messages of wares previously circulated on said groups. It was at this point that Awoites became concerned. Hunches of the law being obsolete were whispered, but more than a few weeks into the semester, the law stood rigid.
 
There have always been stringent rules guiding student vendors in every hall of residence at the University of Ibadan, particularly in the female halls, Obafemi Awolowo Hall, Queen Idia Hall, and Queen Elizabeth II Halls. In an interview with Salahudeen Kawthar, a member of the Student Representative Council in Queen Idia Hall, she spoke about the rule being a general law present in her hall, which has, however, been broken several times. She responded in the negative when asked about the removal of advertising messages in the hall groups of Queen Idia Hall.
 
No. 15 of the code of conduct of Obafemi Awolowo Hall, which is placed strategically on all floors and blocks, states that “All students interested in business enterprises must be duly registered.” Disciplinary actions will be taken against unregistered hawkers and salespersons among students.
 
In an interview with one of the hall porters, a cogent reason the Hall management had to stop the ban on students selling items in their rooms was because of the incumbent vendors occupying shop spaces. The porter asserted that the vendors pay rent for their shops, and it would be unfair for students to comfortably sell items inside their respective rooms without also paying rent.
 
Speaking to the Bar and Buttery Minister, Buari Omolola, she also reinstated the reason the Hall management gave for the release of the law. She also confirmed that a student has already gone through the required registration. Furthermore, a member of the Student Representative Council of the Hall, who pleaded anonymity, affirmed that registration of vendors is a conventional procedure that should be adhered to like it is done overseas. She also added that students should not be compelled to rent a shop when some individuals in the management are involved in the same act student vendors commit.
 
What is astounding is that many Awoites claim to be unaware of the requirement to rent shops to conduct business. In a conversation with Kemi, a 200-level student, she claims the ban on advertisements hasn’t changed anything, but she doesn’t go about hawking around the hall anymore. “People still buy from me without advertising,” she stated. To her, the money for rent, if divided amongst four students, is favorable since it was for a whole session. A position that seems to keep her concerned is that of students selling pre-ordered items to make ends meet.
 
In the same vein, Onyinye, a 200-level student, admits cognizance of the rule. She, however, was not aware of four students sharing the same shop. “I don’t know the price of the shop, so I can’t say if it’s profitable or not for me, but I think it should be affordable if four students can rent a shop together.” She also added that she is a caterer who often goes off-campus to prepare her orders, but she sees the shop as an option for her movement struggles. “So with this whole shop thing, I can bring my oven and other working materials to the school. Also, the four of us will just have a shop key and take turns staying in the shop,” she told Awo Press.
 
Conversely, some Awoites fervently disagree with this rule. Mayowa, a 300-level student, cried out that the renting of a shop rule would put her in huge debt. “I’m not aware of the rule, but it’s not profitable for me because I don’t gain much from what I sell, so renting a shop doesn’t make sense to me. It will just be like I’m using my profit to pay for the shop rent.”
 
Along the same line, Blessing, a 300-level student, stated that she would not always be available in the rented shop due to her unfavorable schedule of classes. She added that her reason would be the main reason for most of the student vendors.
 
The majority of the things students sell either center on items that do not necessarily require a shop or on products on pre-order. Students using side businesses to support themselves are greatly uneasy about getting rent for shops. Wuraola, a 300-level student who is in the business of selling the popular groundnut snack, Kuli-kuli, had to put an end to the sales of the snacks. Popularly known as Ogbonge Kuli-Kuli, the Awoite spoke about how profits were low and renting a shop seemed impossible. “I usually get up to 1k5, or 1k6 if I sell well, every week. When they started with the rule, and considering the fact that I have a political ambition, I had to follow through, and I stopped selling.” She further added that this was quite painful for her as she disappointed people and, at the same time, lost money.
 
In theory, the reasoning behind the rule and the concerns of the Hall Management are highly logical; however, their practicability is questionable, especially when considering the limited nature of businesses that students conduct. It’s safe to say that many student vendors are waiting with bated breaths with the hope there will be a revision of this law by the Hall Management.

(The names of some students have been changed to protect their identities.)