Students at Lagos State University of Science and Technology are in dire straits, following the increment in hostel fee at a time the economy is inclement. However, with lack of bed spaces on campus, they not only want school authorities to prevail on landlords in the community and address the situation, but management should also consider constructing hostels on campus. SAFIU KEHINDE (LASUSTECH) reports.
Behind good tidings lie new opportunities which every individual look forward to tapping from. This can be said of the transmutation of Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH) to Lagos State University of Science and Technology (LASUSTECH).
While the school is bracing itself for the new dawn ahead, over 5000 prospective students are already seeking admission to the new university’s programmes.
Also in preparation towards the increase in student population, the host community popularly known as First Gate and other nearby communities such as Odogunyan, Ogijo, Itamaga, and others are expectant of their share in the bounty with increase in hostels which also comes with increased rent fee — a development that has started affecting students in the institution.
In an interview with a cross section of the students on campus, it was learnt that there is a hike in hostel fee. Landlords and agents are set to reap from the institution’s new status.
Eniola Blessing, a year one student of Food Technology, narrated how her rent fee for a single room had skyrocketed within six months of moving in with the landlord using maintenance as reason for increment .
“I joined someone there and the rent fee was N48,000 then. Suddenly, the landlord said he wanted to increase the rent due to maintenance. He eventually increased the rent fee to N100,000.
“He said he wanted to get pumping machine as there was no water in the house and also make provision for water closet(WC).The only thing done since we made payment was the water closet,” she said.
Similarly, another year one student of Electrical Engineering, Bello Qudus, had to cough out N100,000 alongside his roommate for a single room.
For Adebimpe Abiru, an HND 2 Estate Management student who lives at First Gate, the cost of building materials is one factor responsible for the increment.
She, however, alleged that landlord association also caused the increment.
“It used to be N150,000 ( for a self-contained apartment). But it is now close to N180,000. There is one thing about this First Gate hostel, it seems they do have a landlord association meeting where they agree on a particular amount of money as rent for a particular property or apartment. Again, most things are more expensive which must have been the reason behind the increment,” she said.
Meanwhile, for Isaiah Ayomide to get a more conducive self-contained apartment, he had to pay N350,000 initially, while paying N250,000 in subsequent years.
He had to leave his first hostel where he paid N250,00 yearly due to poor power supply and lack of water.
“I left my first hostel due to poor power supply, but most importantly lack of water. Now, I do not have such problems in my new hostel, but the rent is still high. I had to pay N350,000 for this new hostel with N250,000 to be paid in subsequent years,” he said.
Poor power supply and water are among the loads of challenges, aside hostel fee hike, facing LASUSTECH students.
Last semester, students protested at the TCN Office Lasunwon branch over unstable power supply during preparation for examinations.
For Blessing, amid the hostel fee hike, she had to deal with increased fare from Odogunyan to school.
“Though the environment is conducive, it is a little bit far from school. How I wish the house rent is lesser because we also have to bear the high cost of transport fare. I spend N350 daily for transport while those who come from areas like Agric do spend about N500 on a daily basis,” she said.
Blessing also decried the exorbitant electricity bills she and her roommates had to pay.
Her words: “The electricity bill is too much. We pay N30,000 per month which is shared across the nine rooms in the hostel. Each room contributes N3,000, which is not even sufficient to pay the bill.”
While Value Olagoke, a year one Mechanical Engineering student, is privileged to get a room for as low as N65,000, he has to deal with exorbitant electricity bills, waste management bill, undrinkable water and insecurity.
“Aside the hostel rent, we pay extra bills for power supply, waste and others. These bills are not something you can rush to pay- especially for electricity where we pay about N5000 per room every month.
“Though we have water, it is not drinkable. We do manage it sometimes for cooking after boiling,” he said.
Alongside his roommates, Olagoke could afford to pay the exorbitant electricity bill. But the reverse is the case for Oye Sunday, an HND 2 Estate Management student, who had to relocate from his hostel due to high electricity bill.
“I had to relocate from my old hostel due to electricity bill. I do pay almost N5000 just for a room. Without pumping machine, I was just paying the money for the sake of it,” he said.
For Bello Qudus, it is not only electricity bill that is unbearable. The poorly maintained bathroom and toilet had left him and others bathing outside the hostel most times.
On solution to the challenges, the students considered having hostels within the campus as imperative, particularly with the increase in hostel rent.
“ We will like to have hostels within the school as this will come at reduced price compared to off-campus hostels,” Olagoke suggested.
Similarly, Abiru noted that having hostels within the campus would make landlords and agents to lower the high prices.
“If the school can provide accommodation on campus for students, the hostel owners will perceive it as competition which can make them reduce their fees,” she said.
Hostel agents react
“Increment in rent is not a good news to my job…”
What is sauce for the goose seems not to be for the gander in this context of landlords and agents benefitting from hostel rent increment.
While landlords recount their gains from increment, hostel agents appeared to be on the losing end of the bargain.
For Olakunle Isaac, an agent, the increment is bad for his business as it limits agent’s commission fee on a property.
“As for me ( property manager) increment in rent is not a good news to my job as it chokes price of property and decreases my commission. For instance, if a house used to be N100,000, I add Commission of N50,000 making N150,000 in total. Now if rent is increased to N150,000, what will happen to my commission? If I add N50,000 again making N200,000, will people rent my house? So, does increment favour agents? Never!,” he said.
Isaac, however, pointed at the greed of landlords influenced by unhealthy competition among agents, who are mostly unregistered, over a property.
“Ikorodu landlords increase rent after being influenced by greedy and unprofessional agents. Several times, I have lost some deals because I was blunt and sincere.
“How do I mean? On every new building, at least 10 agents parade the property to secure consent of the owner as principal agent.
“Along the line, some agents campaign win the deal. A house worth N200,000 will be called N400,000 to attract the interest of landlords.
“If a greedy agent promises to help you lease your house out for N500,000 and I say it is worth N150,000 will you consider me?
“So these thieves are considered while innocent students pay the price,” he added.
On the other hand, a final year student and agent, Adekanbi Oluwasegun, claimed the landlords are responsible for the increment.
“Increment in rent is coming from landlords, not us agents. When a landlord puts up a self-contained apartment for N200,000, including agreement and commission. N30,000 for the agreement goes to the landlord while N30,000 for the commission is supposed to be for the agent.
“But some landlords are dubious and wicked that they will still take out N20,000 from the commission while leaving N10,000 for agents to share. That is why agents do add their own money to the fee aside commission,” he said.
Meanwhile, another agent, Micheal Emmanuel, gave reasons for the increment of hostel rent by landlords.
“Landlords complain of increment in the cost price of things in market. This then makes them increase their house rent.
“Some landlords also let us know that their only source of income is on the property that they ventured into.
“Also responsible for the increment is the damage done to house properties by previous tenants,” he said.
School working on providing accommodation
The Public Relations Officer of LASUSTECH, Mr. Olanrewaju Kuye, noted that the management was already working on providing accommodation on campus. This, he said, would bring the much needed relief to students who have to pay through the nose for off-campus hostels.
