- Federal funds built UNILAG hostel costing N950,000 per academic session, raising accessibility concerns
- Initiated by alumni Femi Gbajabiamila, facility aims to tackle UNILAG’s housing crisis since 2019
- Government continues funding maintenance amidst debate on hostel’s premium pricing versus public purpose
Legit.ng journalist Victor Enengedi has over a decade’s experience covering energy, MSMEs, technology, banking and the economy.
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 accommodation options, with a bed space costing as much as N950,000 per academic session.
The facility, known as the Femi Gbajabiamila Hall of Residence, was conceived as part of efforts to address the long-standing accommodation challenges faced by students of the university.
Source: UGC
But the fees now charged at the facility have raised questions about whether a hostel built through public intervention to support students is accessible to the very population it was designed to serve.
How a N1.6bn federal project came to UNILAG
The story of the hostel dates back to 2019, when the then Vice-Chancellor of UNILAG, Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, sought the intervention of one of the university’s alumni, Femi Gbajabiamila, who was then Speaker of the House of Representatives.
UNILAG management wanted Gbajabiamila to assist the institution in tackling its persistent accommodation infrastructure deficit, which had continued to place academic, financial and welfare pressures on students.
The intervention eventually resulted in the approval of a Zonal Intervention Project in 2020 for the construction of a 484-bed student hostel.
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 of the facility.
The hostel was subsequently named after Gbajabiamila, with his sculpture prominently positioned at the entrance of the building.
The facility was commissioned on January 3, 2024, by the then Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, who represented Gbajabiamila, who had by then become Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu.
From government intervention to premium accommodation
Rather than becoming a low-cost accommodation option for students struggling to secure decent housing, the facility now operates with fees that put it beyond the reach of many UNILAG students.
Investigations by BusinessDay found that students occupying a single room pay N950,000 per academic session, while each student in a four-man en-suite room pays N710,000.
This means that a four-man room brings in N2.84 million when all four occupants pay the stated annual fee.
The pricing places the hostel firmly in the premium end of student accommodation at UNILAG, despite its origin as a federally funded intervention designed to address the university’s accommodation shortage.
The facility offers two main accommodation categories: single-occupancy rooms and four-man en-suite rooms.
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?
Public money, continued public spending
The N1.6 billion construction allocation was not the only government funding associated with the facility.
Further examination of budgetary allocations revealed that successive federal budgets have also provided funds for the maintenance and improvement of the Femi Gbajabiamila Hall of Residence.
In the 2024 budget, for instance, 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.”
Source: UGC
How much UNILAG students spend daily on food
Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that a Nigerian lady spoke with students of UNILAG to find out how much they spend on food each day and weekly.
During the interaction, one student revealed that his daily food expenses can reach as much as N10,000, depending on his mood and what he chooses to eat.
Another student, however, said he spends significantly less, budgeting about N2,500 daily. He explained that he is able to keep his food costs down by regularly preparing his meals in the hostel.
Source: Legit.ng