As enrolment continues to rise and economic conditions remain tight, student housing crisis has deepened, with soaring accomodation costs reshaping access to apartment in Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State, as many calling for urgent intervention by the state government and university management.
The students said the rising cost of off-campus housing had compounded the financial difficulties faced by undergraduates, urging the authorities to expand hostel facilities and introduce measures to make accommodation more affordable.
Findings indicated that a single room in areas around the university now costs between N200,000 and N250,000, while self-contained apartments attract higher rents, placing additional pressure on students already struggling with tuition fees, feeding and other academic expenses.
A student of the Department of Microbiology, Tobi, said she was forced to leave her apartment after her landlord doubled the annual rent from N90,000 to N180,000.
Describing the increase as alarming, she appealed to the government to support the university in providing more hostels to ease the burden on students.
Similarly, Ifakunle Gbemi-Damilola, a student of the Faculty of Social Sciences, urged the university management to build more affordable accommodation, saying the situation had become unbearable for many undergraduates.
He said, “The best solution is for the university management to build more hostels so that the pressure from housing agents, caretakers and landlords will reduce. Not everyone is born with a silver spoon.”
A fresher, Adeola, who said she had searched for accommodation for days without finding an affordable apartment, called for a partnership between the university and the Ondo State Government to increase the supply of student housing.
She noted that providing affordable on-campus accommodation would reduce the demand for private apartments and ease the pressure on rents in communities surrounding the institution.
Another student, Richard, of the Department of Chemistry Education, urged the university’s Students’ Union to work with the National Association of Nigerian Students, the National Association of University Students and the National Association of Ondo State Students to press for solutions.
He said a united approach by the student bodies would strengthen their advocacy and enable them to present their concerns to the university management and government.
Meanwhile, Ayo Taiwo, a student of the Department of History, proposed the creation of a verified accommodation platform to help students identify available apartments, compare prices and avoid exploitation by agents.
Another student, who requested anonymity, called for regular engagement between student leaders, landlords, caretakers and property agents to encourage fair rental practices and discourage excessive increases.
Olumide, a student of Animal Science, also advocated flexible rent payment arrangements, arguing that many students and their parents could not afford to pay hundreds of thousands of naira at once.
He said allowing instalment payments, where practicable, would ease the financial pressure on students and their families.