University of Uyo, Town Campus — The People's University of Art, Science and Commerce

The people's university? Yes of course, a university that's 34 years, over 10 years older than me. You know what that mean right? History in the making. Let me take you through this historic university that has stood the test of time with its long-standing buildings that needs serious renovation. Most parents schooled there and has passed on the legacy to their children.

Name of university	Federal University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria.
Opening Time	5:30Am UTC
Closing Time	22:00 Pm UTC
Gate fee	Free Entry
Address	Ikpa Rd, Off Ikot Ekpene rd
Location	Google Map
Steem-atlas	[//]:# (!steematlas 5.03860428 lat 7.92446452 long University of Uyo, Town Campus d3scr)
Website	University of Uyo, Town Campus
Branches	Three [Town Campus, Annex, Main Campus]
Campus of Focus	Town Campus
Year it was founded	1991

Brief history and description of located branches

The prestigious federal university of Uyo had roots since 1930. It first started as a practicing school before it trailed down to become college of education. Then in subsequent years, it transformed to Unicross, still when Akwa Ibom wasn't an independent state of its own till 1987 when Akwa Ibom was created. It was then transformed to University of Uyo, Uyo as capital city in 1991, few years after the creation of Akwa Ibom state. Town Campus was actually the first to be built by the government and this is evident in its structure. So archaic.

A popular bank was destroyed to raise and extend its structure but irrespective, that bank's name stands the test of time in the university as a legacy. Bank PHB

Entrance

As a federal university, Uniuyo as it is acronized opens it gate for all students though it has a private entrance for some personalities. Entrance is free for all students and the entrance is seen in two areas — We have main gate and the private gate. Main gate is for students who live close to campus as its very accessible to them while the private gate or first gate of the institution is for students coming from far. The private gate isn't open for most vehicles as they'll be directed to the main gate to be accessible.

	First Gate
	Main gate

There are security posts in each entrances to check students who dress indecently and for security purposes. Before now, students were granted access to the school irrespective of what you wear but there have been some regulations. As a lady, you can't plait colour hair or wear sleeveless tops to the university. As a guy, you can't wear shorts as its prohibited.

Security personnels do check students in by accessing their ID card before granting them access into the university to avoid insecurities by non-students, staff and non-academic staff. Without your ID card, you need to show any other proof that you're a student of the campus. Last year, a non-students disguised as a student and stole 20 phones from three different departments.

University of Uyo has three campuses, Town campus, annex and main campus. The one I'm going to be mapping as a historic place with architectural designs is Town campus.

Structure and history buildings - Nature and cost of materials

The school is properly funded by the federal government and they are responsible for the erected structures you see here. There are lots of facilities in the university of Uyo Town campus. These facilities includes faculty buildings, department buildings and lots more. The structure of each of the buildings aren't modern structures because there haven't been any recent renovation of the place. The walls of the buildings are so strong though they look old and needs some painting.

The school is 20 feets in length from the first gate as the header and over 25 feets in width if kept straight and not the depth actually. The structure of the buildings are placed in a way that won't be misleading but they are closely packed that you barely see trees. This is one of the advantages as security can't be a problem compared to the main campus where there are silent places you need to walk all by yourself before reaching a particular faculty. You can never see this campus lifeless because of its closely packed structures.

It's buildings are archaic and the roof tops are made with strong materials that have stand the test of time even though they look old. These materials are rare and unavailable now. The walls of the buildings are much strong because how it was built, the architectural design and materials. Though a few renovations have been made lately, you'll notice the presence of window glasses of old [not the aluminium framed glases] used in residential buildings and wooden doors that are barely strong.

I must say with concrete evidence that the government needs to pay particular attention to this particular campus as well as they've given all their best in the Main Campus, installing Solar panels, high quality buildings etc. Just take a look at the grasses. They are competing heights with the buildings. On each blocks in the department, there's a stone monument of the month of creation and a block-based numbers attached to the buildings.

This is a clear road map for students who seems confused as to where facilities are placed in the university. It's a clear road map that have been of help to many students though old.

Faculty of Education

The prestigious faculty of education has been a long standing faculty in the university as education is the mother of all faculties. Their buildings are much more archaic that other faculty buildings. This is a front view of the faculty of Education. This faculty is the first faculty from the first gate or private entrance.

Faculty of Education has 9 departments in it, quite the largest faculty in the whole if I'm not mistaken in terms of number of students studying some disciplines there. The front view has lot of ancestral sculptures with meanings, each of these sculptures were sculpted by students in the art department. Sculptures like;

• a Biafran war soldier
• Mary slaysor who stopped the killing of twins in Nigeria
• African culture display by an African lady
• the ancestral giant mushroom etc.

Departments in the faculty includes; Department of science education, educational technology, early childhood, curriculum studies, guidance and counseling, home economics, business education, library science, and one other.. The front view houses the office of the Faculty officer, the bursary unit, lecturers offices and mini resource centers for presentations and the likes.

The left wing of the faculty houses the former Bank PHB that was demolished to build this institution.** The legacy remains as the lecture halls on there are called by the bank's name. Still on the left wing has a storey-building for lecture at the top floor and resource center for the faculty on the ground floor. This resource center has its year of establishment coupled with the building as a whole. It's called New Education Block. The stone monument speaks a lot.

Bank PHB buildings
New Education Block

Still on this faculty, we have science education at the far end where the HOD of this department is a noticeable professor who have written lot of books on Research Gates site. She's known by the name Dr Etiubon R. U.. Her office is attached to the science education physical laboratory and was built in the year 2008 to show it's an historic building with old looking structures, materials and faded walls. The stone base monument speaks a lot about this as well..

Science Education department
	Department of works

Still in that line has an extended facility they call ministry of works. They are housed in these buildings to ensure the smooth running of certain aspects or activities done in the school like decorations when there's an event, driving personnels in the university bus to the main campus to attend counselling meetings, inaugural lectures etc. This area for works has a sculpture that signifies hardwork and strength.

Still an extension to the faculty of education is a building where most professors educationally are housed. This is more like the brainwork building of the faculty regardless of the Examination officer's building, faculty officer and departmental officers. This is behind the set Gallery for the faculty of art where they sculpt things and recreate history using artistic materials.

Building for educational professors	public toilet

Faculty of Education is the largest Faculty on this campus. This faculty has a public toilet for students to make use of whenever they are pressed.

Art Gallery

This art gallery has stood a test of time because I can remember going on an excursion to this university, primarily to visit the historic library and art gallery. They was 10 years back. This art gallery has an extended building in front of the university's academic library. You can see clearly with me that there are lots of artworks, sculptures and those signifying past heroes. I usually stare at these sculptures because they have one or two lessons to teach.

• Sculptures showing how many survived in the centuries
• Academic stress sculpture
• Fishing and knitting of baskets for fishing etc

Prestigious Faculty of Pharmacy

The sculpture built in front of the faculty speaks a lot and is a signifying symbol for pharmacist, the mortar and pistel. The faculty is quite huge and extended with levels attached to each classes. Like there's a class for year 1 to year 5. The civilization done here is worthy of emulation by other facilities. Though it's an ancient building, the faculty students try their best to renovate the building periodically by painting the exteriors.

Academic Library

The academic library Is situated opposite the faculty of pharmacy and it's the only visible academic library in the university. It's a place where students find pleasure in reading to avoid distractions. The books contained in the shelves includes;

• encyclopaedia
• historic books
• research guides
• academic textbooks
• fictional books etc

The sculpture in front of the library do shine at night signifying an eagle who has a burning lantern under its feet. Beside the academic library Is the School's portal building where everything concerning a student's account with the school, registration and results input are done.

Convocation Park and Zenith Bank

The convocation park is a large open space designed with sculptures and situated for use by computer operators. Since the school operates online mostly in terms of school fees payment, registration of certain things and printing, individuals maximise the opportunity of using this popular space to run these activities to ease the school and to prevent unnecessary queue. There's a zenith bank close to the convocation park where payments are done and cash collected but it's not as functional as before.

Convocation	Zenith bank

Event Halls

Events can't be left out in this federal university as meetings are held, ceremonies, induction and the likes. So where would such events be held if there are no extended halls? The university has two though one is often used for lectures on general courses. The one used for event purposes is called hall onyema ogechukwu. Even outsiders rent this hall for weddings, book launch, seminars etc.

Health center	Event halls

The other hall that's seldomly used is called CBN hall for general studies courses and other lectures that requires large number of students. It's no 1000 capacity though accommodating. There's also the notable health centre for students where they receive free treatment.

Department of Nursing Science

This department was at the Annex campus but was moved recently to this place. There have been a lot of changes lately which has affected the positioning of some department and faculties. This was popularly known as department of English but it's now nursing science. Other lecture halls and some offices are located along this aisle.

Faculty of Philosophy, Psychology and Storage house

This faculty of philosophy is also a longstanding building in the university where students studying philosophy and psychology are found. The area id just fitting for them because there are lots of psychological areas for therapy. This is found in their sit-out. The storage house for electricity connection and diesel generator runs electricity in the absence of light to the whole school. The school can never run short of electricity especially at night because it's a time students read the most.

Department of Music and Forestry

This building is the department of music, not so big or spacious but comfortable as well. The forestry department may be comical to you as it's actually a forest. Students spend time in the forest learning about trees and the likes and it would interest you to know that there's a lecture hall here.

Music Dept.	Department of forestry

The school's chapel and postgraduate hostel

The school has a chapel for students who are Christians to worship there. Most students that come from far to study in the university have left their churches behind and are seeking shelters in new ones. So this chapel is mostly for students that are living close to the campus and those in the hostel.

The postgraduate hostel is actually one of the best and well-built hostel in this university and they are given special treatment here because they are undergraduates who wants to advance their studies. They are called PG students.

We have some noticeable banks like microfinance bank where dues are paid, Eco and keystone banks for cash withdrawal. There's a mosque in the university and structured hostel for girls especially. Concerning sports, the school isn't left out. The school has a large field for football tournaments, basketball court and volleyball pitch. All these facilities are academic and physical facilities for the benefits of students.

Reasons for choosing this place

Out of all the universities I've visited, I choose this one because history is preserved here. History is what the school and history has brought it here. It's not a private entity but a government property which has preserved the stories of our heroes, serving as lessons to the public. Culture is taken to the grassroots through sculpted structures. Secondary schools visit this place for tour and see particularly fascinated with the meaning in each sculpture made.

If I'm to compare, this particular university has stood the test of time though it's not as convenient for learning as other universities and branches of the university. Why? The buildings, location and facilities therein make it difficult to practice to learn as environment isn't really conducive. This is actually one of the reasons they want to evacuate the school to its main campus which has facilities, equipment and conducive learning environment which includes buildings as well.

Shuttle buses are seen in the university and these shuttle buses transport students in an out of the university. They do charge #100 which is 0.4 steem.

Shuttle bus fee	100 naira	0.4 steem

Conclusively, I'm a student of this prestigious university and I've been through the thick and thin walls of my faculty, facing academic stress as expected. Though some facilities limits my learning comfortably in the department, I've learnt a lot from the individual persons and school has passed through me. If I'm to rate, I'll give it an 8/10 for being the historic place this challenge is talking about.

If I'm to recommend this university, it would be for excursion purpose as heritage is preserved here. For learning, it would be in other campuses.

I invite @elijah247, @whitie and @whizzbro4eva