Students of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) are protesting a fresh increase in accommodation fees charged by private hostel operators within the Akoka campus environment, with rents rising by nearly 40 percent.
Investigation revealed that a four-person room, which went for N500,000 during the last academic session, now costs over N710,000 per annum.
Similarly, a single-occupancy room has climbed to N950,000.
The increment has triggered protests, as students took to the main gate of the university on Thursday chanting slogans such as: “No to exploitation!” and demanding affordable accommodation.
The university currently provides fewer than 8,000 bed spaces for a student population estimated at nearly 40,000, leaving the majority to seek off-campus or private hostel accommodation.
This dependency has given private landlords leverage to set prices far above what students can afford.
UNILAG’s official hostels charge about N90,000 per bed space, a sharp contrast to the nearly N1 million now demanded for single rooms in some private lodges.
The Head of Communication Unit, Adejoke Ibraheem, when contacted, requested that enquiries be directed formally to the university’s communication email address, noting that official information on accommodation charges for the new session would be released in due course.
At El Kanemi Hostel, one of the facilities run under a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) arrangement, management attributed the increase to rising operational costs.
Power supply, building maintenance, and additional amenities such as air conditioning and improved security were listed as reasons behind the adjustment.
Accommodation pressures at UNILAG worsened in 2024 when delays in the renovation of school-owned hostels forced students to rely heavily on private alternatives.
Renovations, originally slated for completion by December 2024, were later shifted to March 2025, prolonging students’ dependence on external providers.
Last year, private hostel rents ranged between N250,000 and N500,000 annually, with some high-end facilities charging up to N800,000.
The new rates announced this August mark the steepest jump yet, intensifying concerns over affordability.
With the academic session yet to commence, students remain uncertain about official hostel allocations and fees.
In the meantime, many fear being priced out of accommodation options entirely, unless the university steps in to provide relief or negotiate with private operators.
