Searching for WiFi: How UI Students Make Do Despite Paying Tech Fee

By: Abigail Kareem

Across the University of Ibadan, the struggle for a good WiFi connection has quietly become part of students’ lives. Each session, while fresh students and returning students pay ₦20,000 as a technology fee, the current finalist pays ₦10,000, hoping it will make learning easier. But for many, the reality is disappointing. Coverage is patchy, and though some halls of residence have WiFi installed, the connection is often so poor that students can barely use it. In several faculties, the situation is not much better. With tens of students trying to connect at once, the network often becomes frustratingly slow or completely inaccessible.

Instead of enjoying seamless access to online resources, many students now find themselves walking around campus in search of spots with stronger signals. The lucky ones know where to sit, stand, or even lean against a wall to get connected. It has become a shared struggle and a running joke: paying for something you must hunt for.

On lecture-free days, some students leave their hostels and walk to nearby faculties just to access the school’s WiFi. Because most halls of residence do not have a strong network, affected students rely on these trips to download lecture notes, submit assignments, or browse for research. In faculties like Arts, students reported that security officers often send them back to their hostels when it gets late, even if they still have work to do online. For many, these interruptions mean abandoning urgent downloads and starting the process again the next day.

In an interview with one of the security officers in the Faculty of Arts about the reason students are not allowed to stay back at the faculty environment late at night, especially the new building where the WiFi connection is stronger, he said It is an instruction from “the boss” that students are not allowed to stay back beyond 8:00 p.m. or at most 9:00 p.m. except during exam periods after the student executives of the faculty of Arts have written a letter of permission to use the building.

Generally, this is not a new problem. As far back as 2014, UCJ UI published an article titled The State of WiFi in the University of Ibadan, where students from various halls of residence shared their experiences. Some praised the service, while others complained that it worked for a short period before breaking down again. A decade later, the same complaints echo across campus, a sign that little progress has been made despite students’ repeated calls for improvement.

Student Voices: Frustration Behind Staying Connected

Franklin, an English student from Kenneth Mellanby Hall, rarely uses the campus WiFi not because he doesn’t need it, but because it is simply not dependable. Logging in often means waiting endlessly for pages to load or watching the connection drop just when he needs it most. He admits this has become frustrating, especially on days when buying mobile data isn’t an option. “Sometimes, especially when there’s no data, it really slows students down,” he says, describing how assignments and research in the Faculty of Arts are often delayed due to low signal, especially in the main faculty building.

Michael, a student from the Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences, said he only uses the WiFi when he has large files to download because regular use is too stressful. The one in his faculty is usually too slow to connect to forcing him to leave his department and look for other spots like Love Garden. “I would rather use my data instead,” he admitted, adding that the slow speed often wastes his time.

Victor, a Kuti Hall resident from the Faculty of Technology, said he uses the school WiFi only occasionally, mostly in his faculty library. He believes the ₦20,000 technology fee is not worth it since he still spends heavily on personal data to meet deadlines. He described the WiFi as frustrating, pointing to its slow speed and the crowded spots where it works. “Personally I spend a lot on data subscription for convenience of doing all tasks timely because depending on the school wifi can be frustrating sometimes.” he said. According to him, the poor connection sometimes affects his academic performance and even dampens his motivation for deep research.

The Bigger Picture: What Better WiFi Could Mean for UI Students

Better internet on campus is not just about convenience, it could change how students approach their academic work. Many still move around campus, phones in hand, looking for a “perfect spot” where the WiFi will connect. Others sit in corridors or wait in certain corners of the faculty buildings just to download a single file. If the connection were more reliable, students would be able to work from anywhere in their rooms, classrooms, or libraries without wasting hours searching for a signal.

“I would suggest the school management automate the provision of a significant amount of data for each student for each semester as this would help reduce the stress of changing locations to find a strong connection. It would also reduce the burden of spending extra money on data subscription for the students,” said David, a student from the Faculty of Arts.

For Happiness, a student from the Faculty of Technology, the campus WiFi has made assignments and research easier. She explained that she often leaves her hall of residence, Obafemi Awolowo Hall, whenever she needs to download materials that require a large amount of data, as buying enough data for such downloads is not affordable. However, she added, “The WiFi service should not be limited to facilities alone; it should be available in all areas of the school environment, especially in halls of residence.”

The students’ experiences show that while the school WiFi has the potential to ease academic stress, its current state leaves many dissatisfied. From weak connections in halls of residence to unreliable signals across faculties, sometimes even getting students sent away when it’s late access remains a daily struggle. Many believe that with better coverage and faster speed, the technology fee they pay would truly feel worthwhile.