The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Southwest Zone D, has raised concerns over what it described as the alarming and unsustainable rise in off-campus house rent across universities in the region.
In a statement jointly signed by the Coordinator of NANS Southwest Zone D, Comrade Josiah Adeyemo; General Secretary, Comrade Ojetola Babatunde Yussuf and the Public Relations Officer, Comrade Tope Olugbemi, and made available to journalists on Friday, the student body warned that escalating rent in university communities is gradually turning access to education into a privilege reserved for the wealthy.
According to the statement, rent in many student-dominated areas now rivals and in some instances exceeds tuition fees, placing enormous financial strain 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 further highlighted the current rental realities across parts of the region. A single room in many student communities reportedly costs between N150,000 and N250,000, while 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 increases are occurring against the backdrop of Nigeria’s inflation rate of 33.69 percent, which they said has compounded the financial burden on families already grappling with rising living costs.
The statement warned that the housing crisis is producing severe consequences, including student homelessness, overcrowding in unsafe apartments, and in some cases students sleeping in lecture halls. It added that beyond physical discomfort, the situation poses significant risks to 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 the affected states to emulate the Lagos State Government’s 2025 Tenancy Bill, which it described as a progressive model capable of curbing arbitrary rent hikes and excessive multi-year advance payment demands, while also establishing accessible mediation mechanisms for 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.
