UNILAG Hostel Built With ₦1.6bn Public Funds Now Charges Up to ₦950,000 Per Bed Space
A student hostel built at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) with ₦1.6 billion in federal government funds is now charging students as much as ₦950,000 per bed space for an academic session, raising concerns over the affordability of a facility originally conceived to address the university’s accommodation shortage.
The Femi Gbajabiamila Hall of Residence, which has 484 bed spaces, was developed through a federal government intervention following concerns over the persistent accommodation challenges facing UNILAG students.
The project dates back to 2019, when the then Vice-Chancellor of UNILAG, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, sought assistance from former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, an alumnus of the university.
The intervention eventually led to the approval of a Zonal Intervention Project in 2020 for the construction and furnishing of a 484-bed student hostel.
The Federal Government allocated ₦1.6 billion for the project, which was later named after Gbajabiamila.
The facility was commissioned on January 3, 2024, by the then Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, who represented Gbajabiamila at the event.
Hostel fees spark concerns
Despite being established through public funding to help address UNILAG’s accommodation deficit, the hostel has become one of the institution’s more expensive accommodation options.
Reports indicate that students in single-occupancy rooms pay ₦950,000 per academic session, while those staying in four-person en-suite rooms pay ₦710,000 each.
At the four-person rate, a single room generates about ₦2.84 million annually when fully occupied.
With 484 bed spaces, the facility could generate hundreds of millions of naira in accommodation fees each academic year if fully occupied.
The pricing has therefore triggered questions about whether a hostel developed through government intervention to support students is sufficiently accessible to the students it was intended to serve.
UNILAG explains the fees
The university has defended the charges, saying the hostel is a modern facility with enhanced residential services and is operated under a self-sustaining model rather than primarily as a profit-making venture.
According to UNILAG, the fees reflect the cost of operating and maintaining the facility, including:
24-hour electricity and water supply
Security services
Waste management and sanitation
Other utilities
Infrastructure maintenance
Replacement of fittings and equipment
Professional facility management
The university said the pricing is necessary to maintain the quality, safety and services provided at the hostel.
The development has nevertheless renewed debate over the balance between publicly funded student infrastructure and the cost of accessing such facilities, particularly at a time when many students continue to struggle with accommodation costs both within and outside the university.
