UNILAG Weighs Squatting as Hostel Crisis Deepens, Warns Racketeers of Suspension

UNILAG Weighs Squatting as Hostel Crisis Deepens, Warns Racketeers of Suspension

LAGOS — The management of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) is considering allowing controlled squatting among students as an emergency response to a worsening hostel accommodation crisis that has seen over 30,000 students competing for about 8,000 bed spaces, even as it vowed to impose stiff sanctions on those involved in hostel racketeering.

The Dean of Students Affairs (DSA), Prof. Musa Obalola, said the university was deeply concerned about the situation and had intensified efforts to curb illegal sales of bed spaces.

“We have several stipulated sanctions for students caught selling either bed spaces or squatting spaces. The minimum penalty is one or two semesters’ suspension,” Obalola said, noting that offenders would be tried by the Student Disciplinary Board before punishment is enforced.

He explained that after hostel allocation, the university issues hostel identity cards to successful students, while officials conduct random checks to detect illegal occupants. He warned that the authorities would “come down heavily” on anyone caught engaging in racketeering.

Obalola also faulted some students for exploiting the system. “Why deny your fellow students from bidding, keep the accommodation you already got, and still go ahead to bid and sell?” he queried.

As part of tougher measures, UNILAG plans to publish the identities of students involved in hostel racketeering. The university also disclosed plans, subject to government approval, to enter a public-private partnership (PPP) for the construction of new hostels with over 7,000 additional bed spaces, expected to be delivered within 24 months.

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Meanwhile, one of the university’s official female hostels, Honours Hostel, with a capacity of 511 bed spaces, is currently unavailable due to ongoing renovation.

Students have blamed the recurring accommodation challenges on a combination of late registration of freshers, administrative lapses in some departments, and the activities of racketeers and their agents. Reports indicate that racketeers sell bed spaces for between ₦240,000 and ₦300,000, while squatting spaces reportedly go for as much as ₦180,000.

At the start of the current session, many 100 Level and Direct Entry students were forced to commute daily from home, with some spending over ₦5,000 on transportation each day. In the Department of Quantity Surveying, most 200 Level students were unable to participate in the initial hostel balloting due to alleged delays in course registration.

In response, UNILAG has announced another hostel balloting exercise for students who missed out earlier. According to an official bulletin dated January 5, 2026, applications for temporary hostel accommodation for the 2025/2026 academic session opened at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 6, 2026, for eligible 200 to 500 Level students who have completed course registration.

The bulletin stated that allocation would be done randomly, notifications sent on January 7, payment completed by January 9, and movement into hostels scheduled for January 13, 2026.

In addition, the university has introduced a Temporary Hostel Accommodation (Squatting) window to ease students’ commuting burden. While acknowledging that squatting is ordinarily illegal, UNILAG said the measure is a special privilege, strictly managed by the Student Affairs Division, and not to be assigned by individual bed-space holders.

Students seeking consideration were directed to submit proof of full payment of school fees, duly signed biodata forms, and course registration documents. The university stressed that temporary accommodation “is not a right, but a privilege granted under exceptional circumstances.”

UNILAG Weighs Squatting as Hostel Crisis Deepens, Warns Racketeers of Suspension