Thousands of University of Lagos students are grappling with an acute accommodation crisis as limited hostel spaces, rising fees and soaring off-campus rents force many into financial strain, prompting calls for stronger regulation and expanded student housing, writes WALE AKINSELURE
For thousands of students of the University of Lagos, Akoka, securing accommodation has become an annual struggle marked by anxiety, frustration and rising financial pressure.
With an undergraduate population of about 35,000 students and only between 8,000 and 10,000 available bed spaces, competition for on-campus accommodation has remained fierce. Each academic session, students scramble for spaces in the university’s roughly 15 hostels, where the official cost is N80,000 per bed space.
Beyond these hostels are privately managed facilities on campus such as the Women’s Society, Femi Gbajabiamila and El-Kanemi hostels, where accommodation now costs at least N710,000 per bed space.
While the struggle to be randomly selected for the very limited bed spaces is a yearly one, there is also the usual bed space racketeering, as some simply win the ballot only to resell them for between N250,000 and N350,000.
But, the university administration, led by Vice-Chancellor Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, recently warned that students found buying or selling bed spaces risk eviction and a ban from on-campus accommodation until graduation.
The cost of accommodation has steadily risen. Last year, hostel fees increased from N43,000 to N80,000 per bed space, with the university citing the need for renovation and sustainable maintenance amid a growing student population. Private hostel rates also jumped from between N250,000 and N500,000 to over N710,000.
In previous years, many students coped by squatting, popularly known as “floating” in hostels. However, following renovations, the university clamped down on the practice, warning that overcrowding would lead to rapid deterioration of facilities.
A fourth-year student, simply named Moses, said the pressure for on-campus accommodation intensified this year due to rising living costs.
Findings by The PUNCH show that rent in areas surrounding the Akoka campus—such as Abule Oja, Iwaya, Onike, Bariga, Sabo, Somolu, Pako and Chemist—now ranges from N500,000 to N2m per annum.
Abule Oja, the closest community to the campus, records some of the highest rates, with rooms going for at least N500,000 and self-contained apartments starting from N1m. Some serviced apartments reportedly cost N2m and above. Even students who live as far as Makoko still pay about N500,000 annually.
Moses lamented that with the inflation in the economy, students have to grapple with high transport costs as well as exorbitant rent charges by landlords and agents.
Moses said, “So UNILAG is really, really short of bed spaces, and the challenge has always been there, even from the days of our lecturers. I’m in my fourth year. I have been balloting since my first year and I have never got a bed space.”
According to him, the removal of fuel subsidy and rising transportation costs have made off-campus living increasingly unattractive.
“What happened this time is that because of the subsidy removal, transportation costs are very high. So students don’t want to stay off campus. A bus ride to campus is not less than N200 or N300. So everybody wants to stay on campus.
“Also, the school is trying to regulate overcrowding because in a room meant for eight people, you could have over 20 people. They renovated some hostels last session, so they are stricter now,” he explained.
“The economy is biting hard. Rent has always been expensive, but not like this. Almost everybody has hiked prices. It’s outrageous.”
Another student, simply named Adeola, lamented that landlords were exploiting the accommodation crisis to charge exorbitant rent.
“Students already know that UNILAG has accommodation problems. Facilities are not enough, so many students are forced to rent houses outside the campus. Landlords are taking advantage of this and charging exorbitant rent. Sometimes they charge as much as N500,000 per bed space, with four people in a room,” she said.
She also questioned the cost of private hostels on campus.
“Even on campus, some private hostels are almost only for the rich. They cost over N600,000 per bed space, and you may still have two or three people in a room. If outsiders are exploiting students, should the university also do the same?” she asked.
For Simisola, however, private hostels remain an option for students who can afford them.
“Some people do the calculation – transportation, electricity, water – and decide to pay N710,000 once and for all. At least they are assured of security, power and water. It works for some people, but it is still very high for many students from poor families,” she said.
Responding to an email enquiry from The PUNCH, the University of Lagos acknowledged the accommodation pressure, attributing it largely to rising transportation costs.
“With approximately 8,000–10,000 bed spaces available for over 35,000 students, the institution faces a significant accommodation shortage,” the university’s Communication Unit said.
It noted that the institution has been leveraging Public-Private Partnerships to expand hostel capacity.
“Over the past five years, more than 2,000 bed spaces have been added through these collaborations, and several new hostels are currently under development.
“The University is committed to finding sustainable solutions, working closely with stakeholders to navigate the complexities and peculiar challenges of its location,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, pressed by the reality of continued quest of students to reside on campus, the management on Tuesday allowed balloting for some unspecified number of squatting spaces.
Another student, simply named Chinyere, the odds of securing a hostel space through balloting were slim, leaving several students with the options of the going for off campus accommodation or private hostels which come at a huge cost.
Chinyere, who is in her third year, notes that the scramble for on-campus hostels is also because of being first to opportunities when organisations come with their offerings as well as the security that comes with staying on campus compared to off campus.
“The chances of getting a bed space are between five and 10 per cent. This is my third year. I have been balloting since year one and I have never got a bed space. So I usually secure off-campus accommodation early,” she said.
She added that although private hostels on campus are more expensive than off-campus accommodation, students who insist on living within the campus sometimes have no alternative.
“Private hostel is even more expensive in school compared to some off-campus accommodation. But some, who have the money, resort to getting a private hostel on campus. But the majority would want the school hostels because of its affordability.”
Experts also weighed in on the UNILAG accommodation situation.
An infrastructure governance advocate, Babatunji Adegoke, urged stakeholders to treat student housing as social infrastructure rather than purely commercial real estate.
“Student housing is a form of social infrastructure, not merely a private rental market, and it must be treated as such by all relevant stakeholders.”
While acknowledging PPP as a pathway to allow the private sector to invest in purpose-built student housing, Adegoke said public institutions must do oversight of student areas to ensure affordability.
He added that there is also a need to gather data on accommodation deficit around campuses through deliberate planning and effective governance.
Adegoke said, “Clear and enforceable standards must guide the design and construction of student hostels. These facilities should meet minimum requirements for safety, space, habitability, and basic services, and be designed around the real needs of students rather than purely commercial considerations.”
Estate surveyor and valuer, Mr Alatise Olorunyomi, called for incentives such as tax relief to encourage landlords to offer affordable accommodation in student-dominated areas.
Noting the tendency for landlords to exploit students knowing that on-campus bedspaces are limited, Olorunyomi called for implementation of the Lagos Tenancy Law and rent control in student areas.
Olorunyomi said, “If government can have an incentive programme, like tax relief, for property owners to encourage them to put the students first even when they are trying to recoup their capital investment.”
He also demanded increased funding of universities for them to be able to build more hostels, warning that institutions should not politicise but only give out available accommodation to students on a “first come, first serve” basis.
“It is crazy that our institutions are like this and our institutions are suffering. To mitigate, the Federal Government, federal universities, state institutions need to be well funded. If they are well funded, they will have money to build good new hostels for their students and give it at lower rates.
“Also available hostels should strictly be on first come, first serve basis. For off campus to reduce exorbitant charges, there should be a control system for student areas because these are students. Government should look at a way to regulate real estate around student areas, there should be rent control system for students.”
Managing Director of Shelter Advisory Services Limited, Dr Olayemi Rotimi-Shodimu, also urged the implementation of rent caps and tax incentives, while calling for government-backed housing support and stronger partnerships between universities and private developers.
He also stressed that landlords in student areas, who provide affordable accommodation to students, should be given tax incentives.
This is as he called for the establishment of a national framework for rent determination and dispute resolution.
Rotimi-Shodimu urged UNILAG and other universities to continue to explore partnerships with private developers to increase hostels and bed spaces.
Furthermore, he demanded government have a programme that offers financial assistance to students struggling with accommodation costs.
Rotimi-Shodimu said, “Government-backed programs can provide subsidized housing options for students.
There should also be rent subsidies and student housing cooperatives to encourage student-led cooperatives to negotiate affordable rates with landlords.
”Also, there is need to involve students, landlords, universities, and government agencies in policy-making, while tax incentives should be offered to landlords who provide affordable accommodation to students.”
Culled from The Punch Newspapers
