Students residing in private hostels at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) main campus in Akoka have raised serious concerns over a sharp and significant increase in accommodation fees imposed by private hostel operators.
Reports indicate that some hostel promoters have raised their rental charges by nearly 40% compared to the previous academic session.
Investigations reveal that a specific hostel accommodation previously rented for five hundred thousand naira per year has now been increased to over seven hundred and ten thousand naira annually.
This particular fee applies to a room shared by four students, while single-occupancy rooms have reached as high as nine hundred and fifty thousand naira per year. The popularity of private hostels increased substantially last year due to prolonged renovation work on the university’s official hostels, which are owned by the Federal Government. During this renovation period, the university management implemented online learning for an entire semester, requiring students to come to campus only in batches to write their examinations.
When contacted for the institution’s official position on the matter, the Head of the Communication Unit, Adejoke Ibraheem, directed inquiries to the unit’s email address without providing further comment.
It has been gathered that since the new academic session has not officially begun, the university management has not yet determined the new rates for its official hostel accommodations, leaving students facing these substantial increases from private providers without immediate alternatives.
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cc: Vanguard NG
