Surviving the Night Shift: Inside OAU's Night Reading Culture

By Aderonke Adedunni

Once the exam timetable drops, a dramatic shift occurs. It is not just about covering course materials; it is about survival. The campus transforms into a battleground where sleep becomes the enemy, textbooks become weapons, and lecture halls turn into overnight shelters for academic warriors.

During the day, lecture halls like ODLT, FBLT, and HSLT buzz with lectures, chatter, and the heat of the Nigerian sun. But once the sun sets, everything changes. ODLT, in particular, becomes the centre of night activity. Known for its size and strategic location, it transforms into a reading arena filled with students from different departments, united by one thing: exam pressure.

Students arrive with bags filled with notes, snacks, highlighters, and power banks. “Reading during the day does not work for me,” says Fisayo, a 300-level student. “There is always noise or something else going on. But at night, it’s just you and your book.”

The environment around ODLT is just as active. Vendors stay up late, selling hot drinks, snacks, and comfort food that help students stay awake. Some students grab bread and egg; others prefer noodles. Even in the early hours of the morning, sometimes as late as 3:00 a.m., people can still be found cooking or buying food. It’s a whole economy built around exam season.

However, not everyone finds peace at ODLT. Some students prefer quieter, more isolated spaces, leading them to places like the Faculty of Agriculture. Despite the long walk and late-night chills, they go there for the silence. “It is not easy walking there at night, but once I settle down, I can read for hours without any distractions,” says a 200-level student of Demography and Social Statistics.

Regardless of location, there is one enemy that haunts every student: sleep. No matter how determined you are, once sleep creeps in, it is war. “There was a night I drank two bottles of energy drink and still found myself dozing,” says a 200-level student of Sociology. “I even slapped myself, but it did not work. I woke up with drool on my notes.”

To fight back, students come prepared. Some bring mint sweets, cold water, chewing gum, or rely on peer pressure, reading in groups to avoid dozing off. Others play light music through their earpieces, just enough to stay alert without getting distracted.

Despite the stress and struggle, there is a unique energy in the air. The night class on campus has a social feel to it. Students greet each other, share notes, and take short breaks to chat or laugh over how little they have read. Some even use the opportunity to spot their crush or show off fresh outfits. “Someone once came to night class with lashes and heels,” laughs Bayo, a 300-level student. “It felt like she was going for dinner, not night reading.”

There is also a silent kind of unity, a bond created through shared stress. When you see someone half-asleep beside you, still trying to read, it reminds you that you’re not alone. Everyone is trying. Everyone is tired. But nobody wants to fail.

The motivation varies. For some, it is the fear of carryover. For others, it is the desire to maintain a high CGPA or to make their parents proud. For a few, it is simply about pushing themselves beyond their limits, proving they can survive the madness that is OAU exam season.

However, it is not always smooth. There are nights when lecture halls become overcrowded, or the power goes out, forcing students to rely on phone flashlights. Sometimes it rains unexpectedly, and everyone scrambles for shelter. Other times, the cold hits hard, making concentration nearly impossible.

Yet, despite all these challenges, the students of Great Ife show up night after night. They read, revise, write, whisper formulas, and test each other on definitions. They stretch their limits, fight their fatigue, and push through each night with a determination that is both inspiring and humbling.

Exam season at OAU is not just about academics. It is a mental and emotional experience—a time when students prove their resilience, creativity, and ability to adapt. From navigating poor lighting to finding quiet corners and managing late-night hunger, they do what needs to be done.

In those quiet moments, the sound of pages flipping, pens scribbling, and someone murmuring a theory under their breath writes a story of student strength over and over again.

In the end, it’s not just about passing; it’s about enduring. It’s about finding the discipline to stay awake, the courage to face the fear of failure, and the strength to keep going even when your eyes want to close.

Night reading on campus is not just a routine; it is a rite of passage, a tradition of grit. One sleepless night at a time, students continue to write their stories, chasing success under the moonlight.