Accommodation crisis hits varsities, students, parents wail

UNILAG Gate

HOMELESSNESS is gradually creeping into university campuses in the country as a result of inadequate accommodation for students, with some having to roam about looking for where to lay their heads after the day’s academic work.

Though some private investors built hostels on campuses, high rent is making such facilities out of the reach of most students. The situation is also compounded by shyster landlords in communities where higher institutions are located, who jack up rent in connivance with estate agents.

The situation is acute in big cities like Lagos, Abuja, Ibadan and others.

Parents’ lamentation

“If I had considered the cost of accommodation and the stress associated with getting one for my child, I would not have allowed my son to apply to any university in Lagos.”

That was the lamentation of a senior journalist with a Lagos-based newspaper, whose son was recently offered admission by a university in the city. The boy’s elder brother had attended a university in Osun State and the process of getting accommodation for him was not that stressful.

The journalist, simply identified as Bamidele, had tried for weeks to get accommodation for his child to no avail, as he scouted nearby residential areas to see if he could get accommodation for his son.
Another parent, Victor, recalled what he went through trying to find where his daughter will reside.

“I have only one day off at work and for weeks now, I have been spending that day looking for accommodation for my daughter at a place that will not be far from her school. I was taken aback when one of the agents we contacted sent a voice note, saying that a bed space he found in a private hostel is N400,000 per annum. It is a bed space and three persons are going to share the room. Haba, how do I raise such money when there are other commitments to attend to?” he queried.

Situation at UNILAG