SPECIAL FEATURE Shelter or Struggle? -LASUSTECH Students Cry Out Over Skyrocketing Off-Campus rents
By Williams Peniel and ThankGod Wekpa
"We're not just fighting for a degree, we're fighting to survive!" • "My landlord increases rent arbitrarily!" • "Agents here are reapers!" • "Rent is outrageous!" • "We need regulations on tenancy agreements" • "LASUSTECH should build hostels to save us"
Those are excerpts of the reactions from a cross section of students of Lagos State University of Science and Technology (LASUSTECH) whose opinions were sampled in an investigative exercise conducted recently to find out how they are faring regarding accommodation in Lambo Lasunwon community and its environs.
You may be aware that LASUSTECH, a university situated just opposite the Lambo Lasunwon community, is currently operating an off-campus residential system, compelling her students to seek accomodations in the surrounding communities as they fall in the hands of the landlords and agents of those communities who charge exorbitant amounts for accommodation, leaving the students with little or no options than to pay through their noses.
At first glance, the bustling student areas around LASUSTECH seem like a thriving hub of academic promise and youthful ambition. However, beyond the energy lies a quiet crisis, one that continues to exploit the very backbone of this institution: its students.
For many, the true test of survival is not just in the lecture halls, it is in finding a place to live. Unlike most universities across Nigeria, LASUSTECH does not provide any on-campus student hostels. This absence of hostels in the university has handed complete control of student accommodation over to private landlords in the surrounding areas. Without any competition from the university, these landlords and the agents they employ have developed a housing market built largely on exploitation.
According to reports from multiple sources, the students who appear helpless in the situation, seem to be battling with unjust rent hikes, poor housing conditions among other unfortunate situations in their quest for accommodation in the community as they yearn for fairness in tenancy dealings from housing stakeholders of the community.
Speaking to a range of student residents of the community, Opeyemi Saba, a 200level Electrical and Electronics student, narrated his story regarding his quest for accommodation in the community.
"I've spent about a year now in this first gate area, and I paid about 300,000 naira per annum for a total package, but I'm hearing now that it's about 400/500 thousand naira. I'm sure It's an aftereffect of the recently constructed road.
"I really couldn't believe it. It sounded rather outrageous! For crying out loud, we're students! But I don't blame them anyway. We now seem to be left at their mercies. However, I believe that if the university had hostels, all these wouldn't have happened.
He continued, "I know what I went through when I was seeking this accommodation. It was like an Israelite journey. I encountered several so-called agents who aimlessly drove me up and down, only interested in reaping off unsuspecting victims through consultation fees.
In the same vein, a 300 level student of Building Technology, Ahmed Bello explained that he had been in the community for the past four months and payed paid a sum of four hundred thousand naira (#400,000) as a total package for a room self-contained per annum, and two hundred and twenty thousand naira (#220,000) renewable.
"It's actually on a high side, because initially, they said four hundred and fifty thousand naira (#450,000) for total package, but it took a lot of bargaining to reduce it to the agreed amount.
When asked about the activities of the agents, he said, "agents are reapers! They are good at exploitation, only interested in your money. I told them I needed a house without any issues, only for me to be taken to a room where water is leaking from the wall! I had to use extra money to fix it without even any reimbursement for it.
“There's a season when they become more exploitative. When they see that the university has admitted new set of students, even you that's an old tenant, they'll look for a way to evict you from the property because they want to collect new agreement and commission fees, agent fees and other nemerous billings amounting to an outrageous sum.
"They don't care whether your rentage is due, if you don't know your tenancy rights or you are underaged or don't have anybody to stand by you, then you are bound to suffer flagrant increment and possible eviction! This is really bad. It's really a battle for survival," he groaned.
When asked about his view of the university having a hostel accommodations, "I think it would be a very welcomed development. It'll really go a long way to ameliorate the sufferings of students in their quest for accommodations," he noted.
Similarly, Olaoluwa Esther, another 300Level student of mass communication noted that the rent was very high. "I've moved in to First Gate less than a year ago, and when I moved in, I paid three hundred and fifty thousand naira (#350,000) for a total package, and two hundred thousand naira (#200,000) for rent. But currently, it's almost triple that amount, and they will be telling you it's gated, fenced, has POP ceilings, water, I mean, who asked for all those?
"I think that one major factor for this rise in cost of rent is the agents. You will see some houses with about five different agents, so they inflate the rent to get better 'dividends' and remit only the basic to the landlord.
"Also, another factor is the new road. They believe that since the road is now good, everyone wants to reside in First Gate and enjoy the road."
When asked about the solution to the high cost of rent, "the agents should be regulated, or better still, purged from the system because their activities are becoming too much. It's eally unbearable.
"You may be surprised to know that different students in a compound pay different rents without the knowledge of each other. These agents negotiate different prices for each student, telling them not to tell their neighbours of the amount he/she is paying!
It was only when I got close to some of my neighbours that I discovered that disparities in rentage! Is this not fraud? These so called middlemen should be eliminated," she reiterated.
In a related development, another student residing at a remote, downtown part of the community, spoke anonymously, saying that he had been paying one hundred and seventy thousand naira (#170,000) for the past two years now. He noted that the amount for house rent is determined either by individual landlord's disposition or location of a building within the community.
However, he disclosed that the landlords are now rapidly renovating their properties, apparently as a justification for upsurge in rentage. He noted that most of them are already restructuring their buildings, making out two rooms out of one, thus, reducing the size of rooms, a development which is bringing about much discomfort to the tenants. "We're just exploiting one another in this country," he moaned.
Meanwhile In areas like First Gate and Second Gate of the community where students hope to rent apartments close to school, prices have surged to outrageous levels. A small single room or studio apartment can cost as high as ₦450,000 upfront, a figure padded with commissions split among three to four agents. The actual yearly rent might only be ₦200,000 to ₦220,000, but inflated agent fees turn otherwise affordable housing into a luxury.
If a student rents directly from a landlord, they might pay ₦250,000 in total, including a one-time agent fee. However, many landlords live abroad, leaving their properties in the hands of agents who operate with little to no supervision. As a result, students are trapped in a chain of agents, each demanding a cut without adding any real value.
Worse still, agents around First and Second Gate have formed an association that should ideally regulate pricing and ensure fairness. Instead, it has become an organized front for exploitation, unifying efforts to inflate prices and making fair deals nearly impossible.
Although Hon. Ijazzy, a prominent housing agent in the area, claimed, “This happens in cases where the landlord is not in charge, and he is always unaware of such,” students strongly dispute this. “I thought I was paying for comfort,” says Bisi, a 200-level Banking student. “But what I got was a small room with no water and zero maintenance.”
Another student shared a troubling experience that highlights the inconsistency in pricing: “I rented an apartment for ₦180,000 directly from the landlord. A few weeks later, my friend wanted to rent in the same compound, but the agent charged him ₦270,000. He even told him not to disclose the price and wrote a lesser amount on the receipt, saying he was doing him a favor.”
Furthermore, the exploitation reaches its peak during the first semester when newly admitted students arrive in droves, desperate for housing. Every year, landlords and agents prepare for this rush like businessmen awaiting seasonal profit, taking advantage of the high demand by suddenly hiking rent prices, sometimes without prior notice.
Even worse, students report that landlords issue yearly quit notices, not because of misconduct, but as a tactic to evict old tenants and admit new ones at inflated rates. “I know a landlord who kicks out students every year,” shares Tope, a Tourism student. “He does it just to charge freshers more. It’s a business model, not housing.”
Similarly, another 300-level student said, “Honestly, their interest is high. Imagine a house that’s ₦200k yearly and the total package is ₦400k—what happened? It’s just that ‘interest’ that’s something else. And they’ll still collect inspection fees.” When asked about this, Hon. Ijazzy simply replied, “No comment on that.”
Sadly, compounding the issue yet, is a relatively new factor: the presence of Yahoo Boys (internet fraudsters). These individuals can easily afford ₦700,000 to ₦1,000,000 for luxury apartments fitted with POP ceilings, floor tiles, and sleek finishings. Consequently, landlords now build houses to suit these high-paying tenants.
Even regular rooms without such amenities are priced beyond the reach of average students. “The landlords know Yahoo Boys will pay without negotiating,” says Femi, a 300-level student. “So they set prices that normal students simply can’t afford.”
Despite these high rents, students often receive the bare minimum. Most apartments lack running water, electricity is unreliable, and the general infrastructure is in shambles. Earlier this year, a building at First Gate collapsed, killing a fresher, a tragic reminder that high prices do not guarantee safety. "We are not just tenants,” says Tomisin. “We’re victims. And nobody is doing anything about it.”
Meanwhile, for students who cannot afford the chaos and cost of First and Second Gate, Odongunyan becomes a last resort. While rent there is cheaper, the security situation is far worse. From robberies to harassment, students often trade financial relief for daily anxiety.
“Odongunyan is only an option when you’ve lost every other one,” Amaka, a 200-level student, shares. “Even then, you’re not sure if you’ll make it through the semester safely.”
According to a landlord in the area, “The highest I know of is ₦500k for a POP apartment, and ₦250k to ₦350k for a regular one. I don’t use agents because they cheat landlords.” He also added, “The prices at First Gate are ridiculous, but I can’t blame them completely. Our money has lost value, and building materials are expensive.”
Meanwhile, for students who can’t afford inflated rents or refuse to live in unsafe areas like Odongunyan, commuting becomes the only option. However, this is not easy either.
“I know students who come from Elepe, Igbogbo, Agric, and even Sagamu,” one student said. “Some of us come from our parents’ homes, waking up at 4 or 5 a.m. just to beat traffic.”
From places like Gberigbe, Garage, Ogijo, and other parts of Ogun State, students spend a fortune on daily transportation. The physical and financial toll this takes severely affects their academic performance and well-being.
Community leader, Landlord react
Meanwhile, Mr Francis Egbobi, the Joint CDA Secretary (JCDA) of Lambo Lasunwon community, explained that the recent upsurge in the cost of accommodation might not be unconnected to the recently rehabilitation of the road leading into the community.
It might interest you to know that Lambo Lasunwon had endured decades of suffering as a result of the bad state of its access road, until October last year when Rep Babajimi Benson, the House of Representatives member for Ikorodu constituency, facilitated, rehabilitated and eventually commissioned the road.
Speaking on the impact of the new road on the community, Mr Francis said, "We are very happy now. If you walk here in the night, you will think you are in London, because everywhere is shining due to the street lights.
"Furthermore, businesses are now thriving. When the road was bad, people avoided some shops on bad spots of the road, but now, everybody is passing through every corner of the street, so no business or shop is left out. It has really added value to the economic and social life of the community.
"For increment in house rent, however, that depends upon individual landlords. Some may decide to push it up, others may want to maintain status quo. About two years ago, I used to have a tenant in my two bedroom flat, and I was collecting 300 thousand naira per annum. I don't know about others," stated.
Meanwhile, Mr. Kunle Badejoko, a landlord in the community and occupant of plot number 66, in reaction to this, admitted the skyrocketing rate of accommodation, but attributed such to the greed and selfishness of some landlords, as well as the high taste of some contemporary students.
“Yes. Most of the landlords here are now shylocks. I am one of them in the sense that I own a house here, but unfortunately, I don’t have tenants, and I don’t believe in keeping tenants because I hate unnecessary exploitation. The landlords here are knowledgeable of the fact that the university is currently non-residential, so they capitalize on this and are charging exorbitant rates! When I came to this place, this land was sold to me for ₦30,000. You can quote me. Now? You can’t get a plot here for ₦10 million. What changed? Our attitude and greed.”
“You can imagine, somebody today, said that a room self-contain is ₦750,000 in a year in this environment! If you want to take a room in this area as a student, a room self-contained, you will not pay less than ₦500,000! Why? And most of these landlords have children. They never think about tomorrow. There is no fear of God in them. This road was constructed free of charge! None of them contributed a single kobo for it. But what do you have?
And unfortunately, you students have your own blame. Your taste now is super high. Instead of cutting your coat according to your size, you want rooms with POP ceilings. You’re here to read, not show off where you live.
In our own days, I attended OAU in the late ’70s. We lived in mud houses, used candles to read at night. But here we are today. What kind of change is this? The landlords have their faults, and the students too. A house built 15 years ago, and you say cement is costly? Is that not killing? We’re doing each other in this country, not the government. That’s my own.”
Legal position and the way forward
Worthy of note, however, is the fact that some legal frameworks as regards tenancy rights are available as protections from unnecessary exploitations. For example, the Lagos State Tenancy Law (2011) prohibits excessive bonds and requires landlords to maintain properties, but enforcement in Lambo-Lasunwon is virtually nonexistent.
However, if the students are aware of their legal rights, they will be less likely to be vulnerable to intimidation tactics, such as threats to withhold deposits or evict tenants for minor lease violations and other unscrupulous deals they are reportedly suffering in the hands of their landlords.
As a matter of urgency, solutions are needed from various stakeholders. LASUSTECH should launch a tenant rights education programme, similar to initiatives at universities abroad, to empower students. Local authorities must also enforce tenancy laws through regular inspections. Community leaders could advocate for better housing standards, while LASUSTECH should prioritize expanding on-campus hostels to reduce reliance on private rentals thereby taking students off the streets and shielding them from unnecessary risks.