N1.6bn federal hostel at UNILAG charges students up to N950,000 per session
By Aboki Forex —
A hostel built with N1.6 billion in federal government funds to ease the accommodation crisis at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) has become one of the institution's most expensive student housing options. A bed space in the Femi Gbajabiamila Hall of Residence now costs as much as N950,000 per academic session.
The facility was conceived as a public intervention to address the long-standing accommodation shortage at UNILAG. But the fees charged there have raised questions about whether a hostel built with public money is accessible to the students it was designed to serve.
How the project started
The story dates back to 2019. The then Vice-Chancellor of UNILAG, Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, sought the help of alumnus Femi Gbajabiamila, who was then Speaker of the House of Representatives. UNILAG management wanted Gbajabiamila to help tackle the university's accommodation infrastructure deficit.
The intervention led to the approval of a Zonal Intervention Project in 2020. The project was officially listed as the "Construction and Furnishing of a 484-bed Landmark Student Hostel at the University of Lagos" under the Zonal Intervention Project Appropriation Act of 2020. The federal government allocated N1.6 billion for the construction.
The hostel was named after Gbajabiamila, with his sculpture prominently positioned at the entrance. It was commissioned on January 3, 2024, by the then Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas. Abbas represented Gbajabiamila, who had by then become Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu.
Premium pricing despite public funding
Investigations by BusinessDay found that students occupying a single room pay N950,000 per academic session. Each student in a four-man en-suite room pays N710,000. That means a four-man room brings in N2.84 million when all four occupants pay the annual fee.
The pricing places the hostel firmly in the premium end of student accommodation at UNILAG. With 484 bed spaces and fees ranging from N710,000 to N950,000 per occupant, the hostel could generate roughly N300 million in annual accommodation revenue if fully occupied.
That revenue potential raises an important question: how far should a publicly funded student welfare project go in operating like a commercial hostel?
More government money for maintenance
The N1.6 billion construction allocation was not the only government funding associated with the facility. Successive federal budgets have also provided funds for its maintenance and improvement. In the 2024 budget, N247,963,258.79 and a further N250 million were allocated for the "provision of additional facilities and maintenance of Femi Gbajabiamila Hall of Residence, University of Lagos."
Meanwhile, students have spoken about the wider cost of living at UNILAG. In one survey, a student said his daily food expenses can reach as much as N10,000, depending on his mood and what he chooses to eat. Another student said he spends about N2,500 daily, keeping costs down by preparing his meals in the hostel.
For Nigerian families already struggling with high education costs, the hostel fees show how a publicly funded project meant to ease pressure can end up pricing out the very students it was built to help.