Challenges Students Face Against Landlords in Nigerian Universities

Nigeria is full of lots of different people with different mindsets. I have been hearing about the way landlords and caretakers treat people, but I have not witnessed it at all until today, when it happened in a neighborhood. When it comes to renting houses and also obtaining an apartment, you really need a lot of patience and selflessness because a lot of things will want to frustrate you, but you don't have to.

Yesterday, which was a Sunday, a lot of people headed to church to serve their creator before this landlord and his caretaker came in. I was actually trying to get something I was going to eat before I heard a noise from the other side of the place I was standing.

I was surprised and wondered what would have caused the issues. Not only that, but I tried to move a bit closer to them, and I asked someone standing very close to them. He said the landlord has been extorting the students staying in that house, and he feels it's the right thing for him to do, but the occupants won't agree with him this time.

I stood for some minutes to reason over what I just heard, and I couldn't find something reasonable to say. I walked toward the landlord and the caretaker, called the caretaker and asked why they should be doing something like that considering that they knew it was a student area when they built their house.

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He then said he had spoken to the landlord, but he wouldn't listen. I was very upset and called the landlord's attention. He was not ready to listen to anyone at all, but he wanted to do whatever it took to ensure he got his money. Immediately we saw a student representative, and we called his attention so that he could get this matter to the student union president.

After about 10 minutes, the SUG President came in with his fellow executives. Immediately, they addressed the issues, and they ensured the man was unable to get any more money from anyone. I know it was a painful thing for them, but it was never a good thing for the students who don't work and most of whom depend on their parents for money.

We had to tell the sug president to call a meeting with the landlord that has hostels around the campus and discuss this matter with them, and they should not be bothering the students after they have gotten their pay. This is a bad habit they are not supposed to cultivate; if not, they will be missing a lot of people who live in their apartments. But we just have to survive as students.