The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Southwest Zone D, has raised serious concerns over what it describes as the alarming and unsustainable surge in off-campus house rents across university communities 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 Public Relations Officer, Comrade Tope Olugbemi, the association warned that the escalating cost of accommodation is gradually transforming access to higher education into a privilege reserved for the wealthy.
According to the student body, rental costs in many student-dominated areas now rival – and in some cases exceed – tuition fees, placing enormous financial pressure on students and their families.
NANS alleged widespread “unregulated and exploitative rental practices,” accusing landlords and house agents across the Southwest of imposing arbitrary rent increases and demanding multiple years of advance payment without effective regulatory 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 noted.
The association painted a troubling picture of the rental market across key university towns. A single room in several student communities reportedly costs between N150,000 and N250,000 annually, while self-contained apartments range from N350,000 to as high as N600,000 in parts of Ondo State. In Ibadan, furnished hostels located near the University of Ibadan are said to attract rents of up to N1.3 million per year.
The student leaders linked the situation to Nigeria’s broader economic climate, pointing to the country’s inflation rate of 33.69 percent as a compounding factor that has deepened the financial strain on households already grappling with rising living costs.
Beyond the financial implications, NANS warned that the housing crisis is producing grave social consequences. The association cited instances of student homelessness, overcrowded and unsafe living conditions, and reports of students sleeping in lecture halls due to inability to afford accommodation. It added that the crisis poses significant threats to students’ mental health, academic performance, and personal security.
“We strongly condemn these exploitative rental practices,” the leadership stated, calling on the governments and Houses of Assembly in Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Ekiti, and Ondo states to enact urgent tenancy reforms.
NANS specifically urged the affected states to emulate the Lagos State Tenancy Bill, which it described as a progressive framework designed to curb arbitrary rent hikes, limit excessive multi-year advance payments, and establish accessible mediation mechanisms for landlord-tenant disputes.
As part of its next steps, the association disclosed plans to formally petition all registered and operating house agents across the region. The petitions will demand greater transparency in rental agreements, an immediate halt to exploitative multi-year advance payment policies, and the adoption of fair, student-friendly tenancy practices.
The group also intends to engage regulatory authorities 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 properly regulated student housing must become a policy priority if Nigeria is to genuinely empower its youth and safeguard its future.
