Operators in the building sector say the worsening condition of campus hostels is forcing nearly 70 per cent of Nigerian students to seek private or off-campus accommodation.
Partner and West Africa Tax Leader at Deloitte, Yomi Olugbenro, revealed this at the 2025 Mandatory Continuing Professional Development programme organised by the Lagos State branch of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers.
According to him, over 15 million higher-education students are fast becoming a dedicated asset class, yet most campuses cannot meet their housing needs.
In an interview with The Punch, real estate consultant Ajekiigbe Josiah said many school-owned hostels are old, poorly maintained, and simply unfit for students.
He said even newly renovated hostels fall apart quickly due to weak facility management. Toilets are often dirty, water runs irregularly, rooms are overcrowded, and security is poor — conditions that make learning difficult.
Josiah described private hostels as more attractive because they offer what schools fail to provide: clean rooms, reliable maintenance, and better security.
“If schools don’t fix these gaps,” he warned, “their hostels will keep losing relevance.”
Estate surveyor Olorunyomi Alatise agreed, saying inadequate maintenance and limited hostel capacity leave students with no choice but to move off-campus.
He recalled being allocated a room in a “prestigious” hostel in his student days — a hostel known not for comfort but for neglect. He left almost immediately.
Alatise added that the rush for off-campus housing pushes rents up. During a valuation exercise in Kwara State, he found that houses near campuses cost almost double similar properties elsewhere.
He said this reality places a heavy financial burden on students and their families.
Architect Olusola Amusan also pointed to overcrowding, hygiene concerns, and the need for privacy as major reasons students avoid campus hostels.
He noted that at UNILAG, hostel spaces are so limited that students rely on a ballot system, with a room of eight occupants often becoming more crowded due to “squatting.”
While campus hostels may cost as low as N65,000 per year, Amusan said many parents now prefer private hostels that, though expensive, provide cleaner rooms, private bathrooms, better water supply, WiFi, security, and a calm environment for learning.
He added that some students, especially creatives, intentionally move off-campus for privacy and quietness to help their productivity.
— PUNCH
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