Hundreds of students of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka campus, on Thursday, August 21, 2025, staged a protest against a 40% increase in private hostel fees, with single rooms now priced as high as ₦950,000 per academic session. Chanting slogans like “No to exploitation!” and “Affordable housing now!”, the protesters decried what they described as an unbearable accommodation crisis.
The increment follows significant rent hikes by private hostel operators who cater to students unable to secure the limited university-owned bed spaces. A four-person room that cost ₦500,000 last session now exceeds ₦710,000, while single rooms have risen to ₦950,000. With fewer than 8,000 university-managed bed spaces available for nearly 40,000 students, most have little choice but to depend on private hostels.
“How can we afford ₦950,000 for a single room? This is a public university, not a luxury estate. Many of us are struggling to pay school fees already,” said 200-level student Chiamaka Okoye. The protest, which took place at the university’s main gate, saw students block major roads while holding placards demanding government and management intervention.
Dean of Students Affairs, Prof. Nurudeen Obalola, admitted the crisis was worsened by infrastructural limitations. “We charged ₦43,000 per bed space in our hostels last session, but with only 8,000 spaces, private hostels are inevitable. Unfortunately, we have no control over their pricing,” he said.
Private hostel operators defended the increase, blaming rising operational costs. “We’ve invested in amenities like air conditioning and security, but costs like power have gone up. We can’t absorb these expenses alone,” said a manager at El Kanemi Hostel, a BOT facility.
Students, however, insist that the university must either regulate hostel fees or expand on-campus housing. “The government and UNILAG management must act. We can’t keep paying these outrageous amounts,” protest leader Daniel Adebayo stated. The university’s Head of Communication, Adejoke Ibraheem, declined to comment on the demonstrations, saying only that management is “reviewing the situation.”
Source; https://www.nigerianeye.com/
