Nigeria Accommodation Crisis - UNILAG May Allow Squatting, Sanction Racketeers.

            Faced with inadequate accommodation, as over 30,000 students compete for about 8,000 bed spaces, the management of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) may approve squatting arrangements among students, while also pledging to sanction those involved in hostel racketeering.

           ‎The Dean of Student Affairs, Prof. Musa Obalola, told an online publication: “We’re deeply concerned, and I can assure you that we have been trying our best to curb hostel racketeering as much as possible. “There are several stipulated sanctions for students who are caught selling either bed spaces or squatting spaces,” he said."The minimum you can get is two or one semester suspension."

‎          The Dean of Student Affairs (DSA) explained that punishments would be imposed only after a suspected racketeer is caught, tried, and found guilty by the university’s Student Disciplinary Board. When asked about measures to address the challenges of inadequate hostels and racketeering, Prof. Obalola said that once hostel allocations are made to successful applicants, the school issues hostel ID cards, while staff conduct random checks to ensure compliance.

‎         He warned that the university would take strict action against anyone caught engaging in illegal activities. “Some students don’t consider the circumstances surrounding accommodation. Why deny your fellow students the chance to bid, keep the accommodation you already have, and still go ahead to bid and sell?” he said.

‎         In addition, the university announced plans to publish details of students involved in hostel racketeering. With government approval, it also intends to enter a private partnership to construct new hostels, providing over 7,000 bed spaces to be commissioned and delivered within 24 months. It was gathered that one of the official female hostels (Honors), with a capacity of 511 bed spaces, is currently unavailable to students due to ongoing renovations.

‎          Having experienced a similar situation in the previous academic session, many UNILAG students are again facing hostel challenges in the current session. Contributing factors include the late registration of freshers, unexplained administrative gaps in some departments, and the misconduct of racketeers and their agents. In some cases, racketeers sell a bed space for between N240,000 and N300,000, while a squatting space can cost as much as N180,000.

‎           At the beginning of the session, most freshers (100 Level and Direct Entry), due to their late registration, were forced to attend lectures from home, with some spending over N5,000 daily on transportation. In the Department of Quantity Surveying, most 200 Level students were unable to participate in the first hostel balloting for students from 200 to 500 levels.

‎           It was reported that this was due to the alleged non-registration of their courses. Amid the crisis, UNILAG management announced another balloting opportunity for students who missed out on accommodation during the previous exercise.

‎          According to an official news bulletin obtained on January 5, 2026, the DSA office disclosed that applications for temporary hostel accommodation for the 2025/2026 academic session would open on Tuesday, January 6, 2026.

‎The bulletin stated in part:

   Eligibility Criteria: 200 to 500 Level students who have completed course registration for the 1st Semester of the 2025/2026 academic session, and are within the regular duration for their respective
programmes, are eligible to apply for bed spaces.

‎Application Process: Eligible students must apply online for temporary hostel accommodation during the designated application window, beginning at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 6, 2026.

‎Allocation Criteria: After the application window closes, temporary bed spaces will be allocated randomly among all eligible applicants.

‎The bulletin added that applications will close once the limited temporary bed spaces are filled, and notifications to shortlisted applicants will be sent on January 7, 2026. The payment deadline is January 9, 2026, and movement into the Hall of Residence will commence on January 13, 2026.

‎To address the extreme scarcity of hostel accommodation and its impact on students, the university has introduced a temporary arrangement known as Temporary Hostel Accommodation (Squatting). While acknowledging that the measure is not a permanent solution, the school emphasized that it is intended to assist students facing daily commuting challenges.

‎The bulletin clarified that allocation of temporary accommodation is the sole responsibility of the Student Affairs Division and that bona fide bed space holders are not to assign their spaces to another student.

‎Eligible students are required to submit a duly signed and stamped biodata form, proof of full payment of all school dues, and a copy of their course registration form for the current session. The bulletin reminded applicants that temporary accommodation is a privilege granted under exceptional circumstances, not a right.