Inside Nigeria’s Hidden Campus Hostel Resale Market

As universities across Nigeria welcome the 2025/2026 academic session, a familiar yet troubling challenge confronts new students, where securing hostel accommodation on campus becomes a bigger issue.

What seems to be w I’ma routine part of student life has, over time, evolved into a complex and often exploitative system, leaving many genuinely needy students stranded and at the mercy of an unofficial market that thrives on scarcity and influence.

At the heart of this problem is a shadowy network of students who buy, hoard, and resell hostel rooms at exorbitant rates.

What was originally designed as a simple, first-come-first-served process has transformed into a lucrative business.

LEADERSHIP gathered that students with connections or insider knowledge secure accommodation slots at official prices, only to resell them to desperate peers for double or even triple the original cost, preying on the vulnerability of freshers and financially unprepared students, while rewarding those with privilege, influence, and patience to exploit the system.

According to investigations conducted by LEADERSHIP, the official process of securing hostel accommodation begins with an application via the university portal.

At the University of Abuja, for instance, students must first complete full registration, including uploading a passport photograph and personal bio-data, and paying all required fees.

After registration, they log in to the student portal using credentials provided upon admission and select the Hostel Accommodation option. Students then choose from available hostels and bed spaces, with allocation generally on a first-come-first-served basis, making early application essential.

Once the booking is approved, students must pay the hostel fees within the specified timeframe to confirm their space, print their allocation slip and payment receipt or hostel ID card, and present these documents at the hostel to complete check-in and settle into their assigned bed space.
In theory, this process is intended to ensure fairness and equal access to on-campus housing, but in practice, however, the system is far from equitable. Many students report that even when they follow these procedures diligently and apply early, they are often unable to secure accommodation.
Students with connections frequently hijack available slots, reselling them at inflated rates. While the official hostel fee at the University of Abuja ranges from N25,000, resale prices, according to our investigation soar to between N300,000 and N380,000.

A third-year Microbiology student, who requested anonymity, explained the challenges faced by freshers whose parents are not based in Abuja.

“When I gained admission, I applied for accommodation but did not get it. I almost forfeited my admission as I spent one month without attending lectures, searching for somewhere to stay.

“At the time, some students had secured hostel accommodation and were reselling it for about N100,000 to N150,000. Now, I hear prices have jumped to over N300,000.

“I think the university management needs to intervene and establish strict rules. If you apply for accommodation, you must be willing to stay in it yourself. This would curtail the resale business and give room for students who genuinely need it.

“Why are people who do not deserve hostels getting them and selling for as high as N380,000, while those who truly need it cannot access them? Some even said ‘squatting’ costs N150,000. Many parents are forced to look for alternatives outside the school for their children, including myself,” he lamented.
Squatting has become another facet of this hidden economy. Students who fail to secure official accommodation often accept offers from peers willing to ‘lend’ their allocated space for a fee.

These arrangements, known on campuses as squatting, can cost as much as N150,000 per session, adding yet another layer of financial strain for students and families.

While the university portal system is designed to prevent such exploitation, enforcement is weak. Students and insiders report that monitoring is minimal, and regulations prohibiting the resale of hostels are rarely enforced.

Consequently, a culture has developed in which acquiring and reselling accommodation is seen as a normal, if unethical, part of campus life.

Freshers whose families live outside the city are especially disadvantaged, as they are compelled to seek accommodation in the private rental market or accept costly squatting arrangements.

This situation increases financial pressure and can delay academic engagement, as students spend their initial weeks on campus merely securing basic shelter rather than focusing on lectures or orientation activities.

The stress is compounded by the limited supply of off-campus options in proximity to the universities. In cities like Abuja, where the cost of living is already high, the hidden hostel market exacerbates inequality, favouring students from wealthier backgrounds while marginalising those who rely on the university system to provide affordable housing.

Students and other stakeholders argue that urgent intervention is required. Proposed measures include strict enforcement of allocation rules, ensuring that students who apply for hostel accommodation are the ones who occupy the rooms, making resale illegal and punishable.

A former student of the university, Mr Benjamin Uge, urged Universities to ensure transparency in the allocation process, reducing opportunities for exploitation, saying that expanding hostel facilities would alleviate scarcity, while establishing clear channels for students to report violations could help curb fraudulent practices.