Students of the Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology, Ikere-Ekiti (BOUESTI) have raised the alarm over the sudden and excessive increase in house rent within the Ikere community, lamenting that the new rent charges are now higher than their school fees.
The students are appealing to the Ogoga of Ikere Kingdom, Oba (Dr.) Adejimi Adu-Alagbado, the Supreme Council of Ikere Youths (SCIY), and the Ikere Development Forum (IDF) to urgently intervene and protect BOUESTI students from what they describe as “daylight extortion and systemic oppression” by landlords.
According to reports, the students have threatened to embark on a peaceful protest if the community leadership fails to take immediate action on the matter.
Many affected students say they are already struggling with the rising cost of living, transportation, food, and tuition, and that the unbearable rent hike is now pushing them to the edge. The most troubling part, they noted, is that some of the apartments being rented out for as high as ₦150,000 to ₦400,000 are either dilapidated or lack basic facilities such as toilets, running water, and proper roofing.
One of the students, who expressed concern on X (formerly Twitter), shared a copy of a landlord’s letter showing the new rent prices. The document revealed that:
- A self-contained apartment now costs ₦400,000,
- A room and parlour apartment goes for ₦700,000,
- A two-bedroom apartment is pegged at ₦800,000 per year, and
- Worst of all, a single room without a toilet or convenience is being leased for ₦150,000.
Many students described the situation as unbearable, stressing that most of them come from modest backgrounds and cannot afford such exorbitant rent.
Several students took to social media to express their pain and frustration. “This is wickedness,” one student wrote. “We are not working-class people; we are just trying to get an education, and now we’re being priced out of the town.”
The students have now threatened to stage a peaceful protest if no visible action is taken within the coming days. They insist that Ikere landlords are taking advantage of the growing student population, warning that if the trend continues unchecked, it could lead to unpleasant consequences.
The students, therefore, call on all relevant authorities, community leaders, the local government, landlords’ associations, and stakeholders to come to their rescue and help ensure that accommodation in Ikere remains affordable for BOUESTI students.
