Adeoye Lois 

What comes to your mind when you hear of Jaja registration? Are you reminded of a palatable experience or does the word stirs up memories of one of your unpleasant experiences in the University of Ibadan? Jaja registration process in the University of Ibadan has consistently been stressful and inconvenient over the years. 80% of students in the University of Ibadan can testify to how hectic the registration process has always been, while some persisted until they were able to finalize their registration, others simply gave up during the process. 

The story is the same for the new intakes. Fresh students amidst lectures and other registrations are forced to make multiple visits to Jaja, as some of them make daily trips for weeks just so  to finalize their Jaja registration. With long queueing time everyday, Jaja’s registration process has become frustrating and daunting for countless students. 

Speaking to the correspondence of NASELS Press,  some students shared their experience during their Jaja registration. (Surnames are intentionally withheld)

Abigail, well, I am still on it, I am not done, and truth be told, it is kind of frustrating. It started when we were asked to do the x-ray at Komis, I boarded a cab to the place, sat for hours before I was eventually attended to. I went there the next day to collect the result, then proceed to jaja (the “den” of stress). I got there and my height and weight was measured, I also did an eye test and blood pressure test. I was given a small container for my urine test and the result came out almost immediately. Then, to the last part where our x-ray and other results will be validated, I had always been on the queue for the past few days now, writing names every blessed day and I am yet to do it. Whereas some people will just come and will be allowed to enter just because “they know somebody that knows somebody in there” well, it is fine. We will go again on Monday morning. Hopefully, I will finish it by then.

Haliyah, the process was so tiring, stressful, and time-consuming. I had to go to Jaja repeatedly before I could get the card, struggling with thousands of people. I feel like the school should have just created a platform online where we can get attended to using our phones. Or better still, fix everyone on an appointment so we don’t have to go there and waste our time under the scorching sun. Some of my friends are yet to do their registration and they are fed up with it even before they start. Sometimes it clashes with our lecture period and you have to forfeit one for another, which is not that advisable for us freshers.

Moses, the Jaja registration process was really tiring and stressful because I have started the process since Monday, and I was just able to complete the registration on Wednesday. I had done my X-ray, eye test, urine test, and others on Monday, but the next stage is where they will access your file and documents, check your data, and impute them on the computer and give you your Jaja card, which is the most crucial and critical process, was the most stressful part. Normally, you have to go to Jaja to register your name a day before you do the registration, so I wrote my name on Monday and I went there early on Tuesday but I was not attended to, I repeated the same process on Wednesday but I couldn’t stay longer because I had to go for my class, after the class. I went back to Jaja and I had to stand under the sun because there were a lot of people and there were no sits. Finally, I was able to do the registration on Wednesday but there was a mix-up in the list that was written so I went through a lot before they could find my name and finally attend to me. Most of my friends are yet to complete their registration because of the stressful process.

It is clear that the current medical registration process in our university is far from perfect. Students are frustrated and stressed. The question now is why has nothing been done to to make the registration process easier for students and for how long will this continue in the first and the best university? A similar system that was put in place to generate Authority to Pay online can also be established for a seamless registration process, and then, people can register online and therefore be grouped into categories for the physical and practical part of it instead of having everywhere clumsy at a time.