Public hostels at the University of Ibadan were historically built to provide affordable and comfortable accommodation for students. However, this noble purpose has gradually been overshadowed by the reality of overcrowding, involving both ‘legal and illegal’ residents. The university’s first three residential halls, formerly known as Hall I, II, and III (Mellanby, Tedder, and Queen’s Hall, respectively), initially housed one student per room. As the student population grew, additional hostels like Zik, Indy, Idia, and Bello, were constructed to accommodate two students per room. Since the completion of Obafemi Awolowo Hall in 1986, however, no new public hostels have been built, despite a significant increase in the student population. The only response to this growing demand has been a pragmatic yet problematic solution. Rooms designed for one or two occupants now house four or more students, far exceeding their architectural capacity.

Several reports by media outlets, including publications by several UCJ agencies, have narrated the worsening accommodation crisis, which is emblematic of a broader issue. A joint report by IndyPress UI and IconPress OAU spotlighted the appalling conditions that students living in public hostels are enduring. This crisis is worth noting not limited to the University of Ibadan. For instance, at Abia State University, the deplorable state of student hostels prompted a response from Governor Alex Otti, who, after surveying the conditions, ordered the demolition of the dilapidated buildings and the construction of better facilities. Governor Otti also apologized to the students for the despicable living conditions. In another example, students at the University of Lagos, Akoka, have had to endure delayed hostel renovations. A January editorial in The Punch described the situation as an “anarchical hiatus that lays bare a systemic failure, one rooted in misplaced priorities and the government’s pursuit of establishing new universities at the expense of adequately funding and managing the existing ones.”

The situation at the University of Ibadan is no different. The deplorable state of the university’s hostels raises significant concern. It beckons on the need for genuine intervention by the Vice Chancellor, Professor Kayode Adebowale, and other relevant stakeholders to improve the current state of the halls.

One of the most pressing issues in the University’s public accommodation system is overcrowding. While the official capacity of the university’s hostels is around 9,859, the actual number of students in need of accommodation far exceeds this. The university as at today lacks the necessary residential facilities to accommodate the approximately 33,000 students that make up its population. As a result, many students are forced to seek off-campus accommodation, where they are often subjected to unconducive living environments, exorbitant rents, and exploitation by unscrupulous house agents. A report by IndyPress on July 3, 2024, brought to fore the environmental challenges faced by UI students living in Agbowo. Of even greater concern is the fact that these off-campus students are poorly represented in the Student Representative Council (SRC), despite the significant challenges they face. To be candid, they are not represented at all. The Students’ Union leadership has also done little to address this issue.

Even those living on campus are not spared the hardship. Student residents suffer from substandard living conditions, including grueling accommodation processes, unhygienic conditions, and dysfunctional hostel facilities, all of which have a serious negative impact on their academic performance. In an interview with IndyPress in August 2024, former Chairman of Hall Chairpersons, Olamilekan Ibrahim, cited the poor remuneration of sanitation cleaners as one of the factors contributing to the unhygienic state of public hostels. While he offered hollow assurances that the state of the halls could improve, the situation remains deplorable months later. Our halls are unsightly on weekends, and sometimes during the week.

Transgenerational bedbug infestations are another major concern. These blood-sucking pests have caused sleepless nights for students at the university, further affecting academic focus. Despite the university management’s attempts to fumigate the hostels, the eradication of these pests remains a distant success. Every academic session, students are forced to dig into their insufficient stipends to purchase insecticides for the disinfection of their rooms. A visit to the hall facilities, driven by genuine concern, would reveal the extent of this disturbing issue and the traumatizing experiences of students.

The hostel restroom facilities are in a deplorable state. Many students are forced to walk considerable distances just to find usable alternatives. The kitchenettes, once intended to meet students’ culinary needs, have deteriorated so badly that in some halls, such as Great Independence Hall, kitchens are being repurposed as makeshift rooms. In some cases, students can be found lying on beds placed between two sinks. This unfortunate turn of events has left students without an appropriate space for cooking.

Equally troubling is the fact that students often bear the financial burden of repairing faulty facilities in their assigned rooms, such as damaged wall sockets. These are issues that should be addressed by the university’s Department of Works and Maintenance. The security situation in the halls of residence remains persistently underwhelming. Students have been victims of theft and break-ins, not always due to negligence on their part, but rather because of the university’s failure to prioritize an efficient security infrastructure within the public hostels. We are deeply concerned that students continue to bottle up untold stories of their insecurity.

Room allocation at the University of Ibadan is plagued by inefficiency. The process is not clear and absolutely accountable. Students have had to endure a chaotic and prolonged allocation process that delays their academic resumption. This system also shortchanges lecturers who serve as Hall Wardens or other hostel officials, forcing them to neglect their academic responsibilities during the allocation periods. There is no justification for the institutional discrimination that continues to disregard the potential abilities of non-academic staff as efficient managers of the hostels and accommodation process. We need non-academic staff as hall wardens etcetera. The discrimination is unscholarly of an institution like ours.

It is important that the Federal Government, the Pro-Chancellor, the Chancellor, the Vice-Chancellor, and the leadership of the Students’ Union, along with other relevant stakeholders, address the accommodation challenges that are fast becoming a looming crisis. Priority must be given to the sanitation of public hostels, proper fumigation to combat the persistent bedbug infestations, and the adequate maintenance and utilization of hostel facilities. Some recreational facilities in the public halls of residence are as dead as many poorly managed donated facilities on campus.

The room allocation process should be streamlined and conducted outside of the academic calendar to prevent disruption of lectures. It is unjustifiable that students are delayed for weeks by the accommodation process, rather than resuming their academic responsibilities on time. The Student Welfare Board, which is ideally responsible for addressing students’ concerns, must be revived. It is crucial for student representatives to advocate for the resuscitation of this welfare board. The university must also consider the construction of public hostels that are affordable. To address the accommodation challenges, the federal government must prioritize adequate funding for public education. To spell the ultimate message, we need more public hostels. It is high time that the Nigerian government implements UNESCO’s recommendation to allocate 15 to 20, or even up to 26 percent, of the national budget to education. President Tinubu has not shown an understanding of Nigeria’s educational needs. Nigerians must save the President.

Every student deserves a conducive living environment to rest and study. We need more public hostels that are affordable and not those that divide students along the lines of financial status. Enough of giving out public lands in a public university to private investors, who would be here to make money out of the basic need for housing facilities for students’ purposes. If anything, the Governing Council must rethink the essence of a public-research University in a multidimensional poor Nigeria. It is high time the Vice-Chancellor and other relevant authorities address the long-standing accommodation concerns of students. The university management has been too silent on these pressing issues. The office of the Dean of Students should re-engage accommodation concerns, and do so genuinely like never before.

Most importantly, all student representatives must work together to address the accommodation needs of students. By doing so, they will fulfill their social contract with the student community. Students themselves must also refrain from remaining silent or indifferent to the accommodation challenges they face. They must ask the tough questions and hold the necessary stakeholders, including the Students’ Union representatives, accountable. They should ask and demand answers. Why do students live in shanties, and why are our concerns being ignored? Why are we paying discriminatory fees? Why are there no corresponding benefits despite the increased accommodation rates? Why are student representatives not guilty of underrepresenting the grievances of students?