Hitches Plague UNILAG's Hostel Balloting as 35,000 Students Vie for 8,000-Bed Spaces

The University of Lagos (UNILAG) witnessed a tumultuous start as 35,000 students embarked on the process of balloting for one of the 8,000 coveted bed spaces in the institution's hostels. This endeavor, intended to secure student accommodation, has been fraught with numerous challenges, leaving a substantial number of students unable to access the online portal and participate in the allocation process.

This ordeal has left students and their parents deeply frustrated, as failing to secure a hostel room could potentially force them into seeking accommodation in private hostels at exorbitant rates.

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An investigation conducted by Myschoolnews has revealed that despite their best efforts, many students found themselves consistently locked out of the system, preventing them from even attempting to secure official on-campus housing.

When questioned about the ongoing issues, the Dean of Students Affairs, Prof. Musa Obalola, attributed the situation to factors beyond the university's control.

”We have done everything possible at our end and we are ensuring a fair and transparent exercise. Those experiencing hitches at partaking in the exercise could be having problems if the network where they are is not strong enough. Also, one does not know the type of device they are using to log in. Since the exercise just got to the second day, it is expected that many students would want to log in at the same time. There could be congestion. We have about 8,000 bed spaces for over 35,000 students.” Professor Obalola explained. 

Regarding any plans to provide additional hostel accommodation, Obalola stated that the university was exploring various avenues, acknowledging that such measures would require time and involve complex considerations.

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Alhaja Adejoke Alaga-Ibraheem, the Head of the Information Unit at UNILAG, echoed Obalola's statements, emphasizing that the balloting process was being conducted fairly and that any hitches were not the result of the university's actions.

It's worth recalling that, several months prior, the university management had increased mandatory fees, including hostel fees, although they later reduced the fees following complaints from students and parents. The undergraduate hostel fees on the Akoka and Yaba campuses were reduced from ₦90,000:00 to ₦43,000:00, and for hostels in the Idi-Araba campus, the fees were decreased from ₦120,000:00 to ₦65,000:00.