Dare Babalola
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Southwest Zone D, has expressed concern over the alarming and unsustainable increase in off-campus accommodation rents across universities in the region.
The student body expressed its concerns in a statement jointly signed by the Coordinator of NANS Southwest Zone D, Comrade Josiah Adeyemo; General Secretary, Comrade Ojetola Babatunde Yussuf; and Public Relations Officer, Comrade Tope Olugbemi.
The statement, made available to journalists on Friday, warned that rising rents in university communities are making education increasingly inaccessible to many, effectively turning it into a privilege for the wealthy.
The statement noted that rents in many student areas are now comparable to, and sometimes higher than, tuition fees, putting a huge financial burden on students and their families.
The association decried what it termed “unregulated and exploitative rental practices,” alleging that landlords and house agents across the Southwest are imposing arbitrary rent increases and demanding multiple years of advance payment with little or no oversight.
“Recent assessments indicate that a significant proportion of students now spend nearly half of their available income on rent alone, far exceeding the globally accepted housing affordability benchmark of 30 per cent,” the statement reads.
NANS highlighted the harsh rental realities in parts of the region. A single room in many student communities reportedly costs between N150,000 and N250,000.
Self-contained apartments range from N350,000 to as high as N600,000 in parts of Ondo State. In Ibadan, furnished hostels near the University of Ibadan are said to be rented for as much as N1.3 million annually.
The student leaders noted that these rent hikes come as Nigeria’s inflation rate hits 33.69%, worsening the financial strain on families struggling to make ends meet.
The statement warned that the housing crisis is causing student homelessness, overcrowding in unsafe apartments, and even students sleeping in lecture halls, adding that this not only causes physical discomfort but also threatens students’ mental health, academic performance, and personal security.
“We strongly condemn these exploitative rental practices,” the NANS leadership stated, calling on the governments and Houses of Assembly in Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Ekiti, and Ondo States to enact urgent reforms.
The association urged affected states to follow Lagos State’s lead with its 2025 Tenancy Bill, a model they say can curb unfair rent increases and excessive advance payments, while providing a clear process for resolving landlord-tenant disputes.
Furthermore, NANS Southwest Zone D declared its intention to formally petition all registered and operating house agents across the region.
The petitions, according to the statement, will demand greater transparency in rental agreements, an immediate end to exploitative multi-year advance payment policies, and the adoption of fair and student-friendly tenancy practices.
The student body also disclosed plans to engage regulatory bodies and professional associations overseeing estate agents to ensure compliance with ethical standards and to protect students from systemic exploitation.
“Education must never become a luxury dictated by housing costs,” the statement concluded, insisting that affordable and regulated student housing must become a policy priority if Nigeria is serious about empowering its youth and securing its future.
