NANS Declares Emergency Over Dilapidated Student Hostels Nationwide

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has declared a national emergency over the deteriorating condition of student hostels across universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, warning that continued neglect threatens students’ welfare and safety.

The declaration was made in Abuja by newly inaugurated NANS President, Babatunde Akinteye, during the inauguration of the association’s 2026 National Executive Council, where he described the state of hostels as pathetically disheartening.

Akinteye said many hostels across the country’s tertiary institutions had become uninhabitable due to years of neglect, forcing students to live in environments characterised by poor sanitation, inadequate facilities and other hazards.

He said conditions in many hostels were not befitting of institutions of higher learning, and formally declared a state of emergency on student hostels across Nigeria’s tertiary institutions during the inauguration ceremony.

The declaration adds to a growing list of concerns raised by student bodies over infrastructure decay in Nigerian tertiary institutions, with previous complaints centring on classroom facilities, laboratories and campus security.

NANS is expected to engage the Federal Ministry of Education and individual institution managements in the coming weeks to press for urgent intervention on hostel infrastructure across affected campuses nationwide.