By Habibullah Temako
Ademorayo* could talk for days about the exploitation she has faced since choosing to stay in Gida Nkiruma, one of the private hostels at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto (UDUS). From her 100-level, she lived in a school hostel because it was affordable. But by 400-level, she needed something more spacious and restful, so private accommodation became a necessity. But what she found instead was disturbing.
When Ademorayo eventually settled for Gida Nkiruma, she was dismayed to discover that private hostels are not only quite expensive compared to school hostels, but female students are being charged higher rent fees with 20-30% price disparity than their male counterparts.
“Honestly, I felt cheated paying N105,000 for this hostel,” she said with subdued agitation. But what really made me feel more cheated was finding out that guys are paying as low as N55,000 for the same rooms,” she added.
According to her, both male and female hostels in Shamma have the same conditions with the same size, structure and decoration. And if there’s anything, the only difference is the deliberate price discrimination which added more financial burdens to them.
“The price difference is too much and I couldn’t afford it not until I cut part of my school fees to add it up, because I don’t have any choice. And it’s just as if we the female students have no voice to protest against this extortion while it continues,” she further lamented.
Driven by doubt to confirm the level of exploitation, the News Digest Press reached out to Abdulbasit Nurudeen, a 200-level student of Education and Mathematics to check if the hostels are the same in category. Nurudeen who resides in the hostel where male tenants reportedly pay N55,000 confirmed the claim to be true.
“I paid N55,000 for my accomodations which is the same as the female hostel, yet, female students are being charged more,” Nurudeen told the News Digest Press.
A site-visit to both the male and female hostels. showed that aside from the male hostel fence being plastered, there were no visible differences between the two buildings structurally.
Gender-based Pricing is Not New
Price differences arise even when the only distinction is superficial, such as color or packaging. For example, a razor marketed to women (pink color) may cost more than an identical razor marketed to men (blue color)
A 2015 report revealed a pattern of price discrimination against women. It shows that women’s products cost, on average, 7% more than comparable men’s items. These disparities were in different categories, including toys and accessories, which were 7% more expensive for girls.
Children’s clothing cost 4% more for girls, while adult women’s clothing was 8%, which is more expensive than men’s. Personal care products for women came with the highest markup, at 13% more than men’s equivalents. Even in senior and home health care products, women paid 8% more, the report added.
More Female Students Speak Out
Motunrayo is not alone. Muhammed Latefat, a final-year student of Forestry and Environment, has endured constant rent increments each academic session, often disguised as renovation costs. What made it more painful, she said, was discovering that she pays ₦90,000 for the same hostel where her male counterparts are charged just ₦70,000.
“We are left with no choice after we’ve realized that this has been a long-standing custom in most private hostels,” she lamented.
A 300-Level Forestry student who pleaded anonymous also shared that female students in private hostels have become the victims of exploitation by caretakers and landlords, largely because they remain silent about it for quite a long time and never report the issue to the appropriate authorities.
She said, “We are paying higher rent tuition because of our weakness to voice out. This is what makes the caretakers take undue advantage against us since nobody feels like protesting or reporting it to school management.”
She also alleged that she was extorted to pay N120,000 for a hostel that typically costs N100,000—a price many male students pay. She sees this as an exploitation aimed at straining students’ finances and limiting their ability to manage their expenses on campus.
“But why only female students?” she asked.
Female Residents Count Loss
With the rising bills and soaring cost of private accommodation at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, the price disparity has taken a great toll on female students. Ademorayo lamented that she became financially bankrupt after cutting her school fees to secure a room. According to her, it took a while before her parents were able to send her money again, which left her stranded to continue with her registrations and clearances.
“Paying the hostel rent left me financially drained, and I had to put my registration and clearance on hold,” she said. “I had to wait until my parents sent money for my school fees, which they didn’t have until the exam approached. The delay was so distressing, and I felt like I was lagging behind,” she said.
For Aisha Sulaiman (Not real name), a female occupant at 80K hostel, the undue burden grew worse with each day on the campus. “I was left with nothing after paying my rent fees,” she recounted. “In fact, the extra fraudulent charges left me struggling to afford even the basics,” she continued.
She stated further that it’s very unfair to expect them to cope with such conditions, as they are already facing a lot of financial challenges arising from this extortion.
“We can’t keep struggling like this. We need the authorities to intervene and ensure fairness. Hostel managers must review their pricing policies, which unfairly target female students,” she pleaded.
Caretaker Blames Female Students’ Desperation
Mallam Sanusi, one of the Caretakers in the private hostel, admitted in an interview that additional charges are often negotiated during room allocations.
“Majority of the female students are always desperate in their search to secure a room irrespective of the amount they were asked to pay”
Management Promises Intervention
The Dean of Private Hostel, Professor S.Y Tsagem, while speaking with the News Digest Press, assured that the issue will be addressed, noting that he will meet with the caretakers and landlords to hear from their side.
“I am not aware that such things have been happening without my knowledge, ” he expressed, sadly.
“Now that it has been brought to my notice, I will rightly intervene and speak with the caretakers and landlords,” he assured.
He also promised to instruct caretakers and landlords to adopt a just and balanced payment system, aimed to prevent overcharging and ensure all students pay the fixed price.
This story was completed with support from Digest Press UDUS