UNN postgraduate students rue sleeping in “abandoned buildings”

Scores of postgraduate students at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) are allegedly sleeping in open spaces and decrepit, abandoned buildings following the school authorities shutting down of its postgraduate hostels since November 2025, citing planned renovations that have yet to begin.

The affected students regretted that more than three months after the closure, no visible renovation work has happened, while academic activities continue uninterrupted — leaving many stranded without accommodation.

A postgraduate student who craved anonymity confided in Business Hallmark that In that “serious and prolonged welfare crisis” affecting both returning and newly admitted students, including those who relocated from distant parts of Nigeria and abroad.

“Since November last year, the university administration closed the postgraduate hostels, citing the need for urgent renovation works. No meaningful renovation has taken place in the intervening months,” the student said.

“The hostels remain locked and inaccessible, with no visible construction activity, equipment, or workers on site. Despite repeated informal inquiries, the university management has provided zero official communication — no updates, no timelines, no alternative arrangements, and no explanation for the delay.”

In the midst of this hostel crisis , postgraduate students are still required to attend lectures, participate in seminars, sit for examinations, present research proposals and defend theses.

“The university demands full academic engagement and compliance, yet it has completely abdicated its responsibility to provide even the most basic living conditions,” the student lamented.

According to multiple affected students, the lack of communication from the university management has worsened anxiety and uncertainty, particularly for newly admitted students who arrived in Nsukka expecting to move into campus accommodation.

“We came prepared to focus on our research and academic work. Instead, we are battling daily survival,” another postgraduate student said.

Some students claim they have resorted to sleeping in open fields and uncompleted or abandoned buildings within and around the campus.

“We have to wake up before daybreak to bathe outside and relieve ourselves in bushes so we are not seen,” the anonymous student disclosed.

Others said they are squatting with friends or crammed into overcrowded off-campus apartments where landlords have allegedly hiked rents due to increased demand.

“Landlords are charging two or three times the normal rate because they know students are desperate,” a student said.

“Some of us cannot afford it, so we manage wherever we can.”

The situation, according to the students, has exposed them to health risks, insecurity and psychological stress.

The protracted closure has ignited concerns about the university’s preparedness to handle postgraduate enrolment and student welfare, especially given that postgraduate students are often required to remain on campus for extended research and academic engagements.

Some students fear that speaking publicly could attract victimisation, which is why several have opted to remain anonymous.

They also urged the Federal Ministry of Education and relevant oversight bodies to investigate the matter and ensure that students are not subjected to inhumane living conditions while fulfilling academic obligations.

“It is unacceptable that we are expected to meet every academic deadline while sleeping in the open,” the anonymous student said. “We are not asking for luxury — just basic shelter.”

As of the time of filing this report, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka had not issued any official statement explaining the delay in renovation works or outlining a timeline for reopening the postgraduate hostels.