{"id":916,"date":"2026-07-12T19:38:55","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T18:38:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/?p=916"},"modified":"2026-07-12T19:38:56","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T18:38:56","slug":"rising-rents-limited-hostels-deepen-accommodation-crisis-for-delsu-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/?p=916","title":{"rendered":"Rising Rents, Limited Hostels Deepen Accommodation Crisis for DELSU Students"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Momah Loveth<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students of Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka, are facing increasing hardship in
securing accommodation as soaring rents and inadequate hostel spaces continue to worsen
the housing situation in the university community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


With the 2025\/2026 academic session underway, investigations reveal that rents for off-
campus accommodation now range between \u20a6250,000 and \u20a6500,000 per session, while the university’s on-campus hostel accommodation costs about \u20a680,000. However, limited
hostel capacity has forced thousands of students into the more expensive private housing
market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shortage of affordable accommodation has become one of the major challenges
confronting students in Abraka, as the university’s hostels can only accommodate a small
proportion of its more than 35,000 students. Consequently, many students have been
compelled to seek accommodation in neighbouring communities such as Ekrejeta and other
parts of Abraka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


A 200-level student in the Faculty of Arts, Miss Praise Ejiro, described the situation as
unbearable, noting that the cost of renting a room had increased significantly within a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

READ ALSO:<\/strong> OPINION: How AI Is Driving Growth In Nigeria\u2019s Science And Technology Sectors<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Last session I paid \u20a6180,000 for a self-contained room. This year, the landlord increased
it to \u20a6320,000. The hostel costs about \u20a680,000, but getting a space is almost impossible.
Many of us now share rooms or live farther from campus, and it affects our studies,” she
said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Findings by this reporter indicate that the sharp increase in rent is driven by growing
demand for accommodation, inadequate hostel facilities, rising construction costs and what
many students describe as exploitation by some landlords.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Apartments located close to the university and equipped with basic amenities such as
electricity and running water now attract rents of between \u20a6450,000 and \u20a6500,000 per
session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


A landlord, who requested anonymity, defended the increase, saying property owners were
also grappling with rising operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

READ ALSO:<\/strong> Abraka Festival Disrupts Businesses as Traders Count Losses<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Maintaining these buildings is expensive. We spend more on diesel, repairs and other
maintenance costs. Students want comfortable accommodation, and providing those
facilities comes at a price,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Although university hostels remain the most affordable option, students complained that
the facilities are overstretched.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Some residents cited overcrowding, irregular water supply and poor maintenance as
reasons many students still prefer private accommodation despite the high cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


The Students’ Union Government (SUG) acknowledged the housing challenge and said it
was engaging the university management on possible solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

READ ALSO:<\/strong> OPINION: Urbanisation Of Security Injustice in Nigeria: When Safety Becomes a Privilege<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A union official said discussions were ongoing on expanding hostel facilities and
introducing measures to regulate rent within the university community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We understand the difficulties students are facing. We are advocating for more hostel
accommodation and exploring ways to address the increasing cost of off-campus housing,”
the official said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


The accommodation shortage has particularly affected newly admitted students and female
undergraduates, many of whom prioritise security when searching for accommodation. As
a result, some are forced to pay higher rents for hostels perceived to be safer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Education stakeholders have warned that the housing crisis could negatively affect
students’ academic performance and mental well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

READ ALSO:<\/strong> DELSU-SUG Lists NELFUND Implementation As Key Achievement For 2025\/2026 Session<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

They noted that the rising cost of accommodation, combined with tuition fees, feeding,
transportation and other educational expenses, has placed considerable financial pressure
on students and their parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Students have therefore called on the university management, the Students’ Union
Government and the Delta State Government to take urgent steps to address the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Suggested measures include expanding on-campus hostel facilities, encouraging public-
private partnerships in student housing development and introducing policies that will
promote fair and affordable rent within the university community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


For many students, however, affordable accommodation remains difficult to find as they
continue to search for housing that fits their limited budgets.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Momah Loveth Students of Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka, are facing increasing hardship insecuring accommodation as soaring rents and inadequate hostel spaces continue to worsenthe housing situation in the university community. With the 2025\/2026 academic session underway, investigations reveal that rents for off-campus accommodation now range between \u20a6250,000 and \u20a6500,000 per session, while the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":921,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"iawp_total_views":5,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,14],"tags":[31,25,26,37],"class_list":["post-916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abrakametro","category-trendingnews","tag-abraka","tag-delsu","tag-education","tag-housing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/916","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=916"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/916\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":924,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/916\/revisions\/924"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/921"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=916"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=916"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=916"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}