INSIDE OSUN: 20,000 STUDENTS RAISE THEIR VOICES AGAINST UNILESA RENT HIKE UNDER THE WATCH OF NAUS

In the warm bustle of Osun State, where academic dreams interlace with the rhythm of everyday survival, a quiet tension has been building. For over 20,000 students of the University of Ilesa (UNILESA), that tension recently broke into public glare. Their grievance? A steep rise in accommodation rents, one that threatens not only their comfort, but their education itself.

For years, the student community in Ilesa has relied on private hostels scattered across neighborhoods like Bolorunduro, Imo, Ita-Olokun, and Ifofin. These spaces, though modest, formed the beating heart of campus life, study circles, shared meals, late-night laughter, and the daily forging of lifelong friendships. But this sense of shelter is now under strain. Prices that once ranged around twenty to sixty thousand naira have, in recent months, climbed to figures pushing millions. In a country where many families already wrestle with the weight of rising fuel prices, food inflation, and shrinking incomes, this hike struck a nerve. The response was not chaos. It was organized clarity. The National Association of University Students (NAUS), Osun Axis, stepped in, not with noise, but with negotiation, communication, and strategic engagement. Representatives visited host communities, landlords’ associations, local chiefs, and policymakers. What emerged was a unified message: education cannot be priced out of the reach of the very people it is meant to empower. Students shared their stories. A young lady from Ejigbo who almost deferred her program. A final-year student who considered commuting daily from home, a journey that would cost both time and sleep. Parents called in shock. Guardians pleaded. The emotional and economic realities spoke for themselves. NAUS Osun CMC didn’t just amplify these voices, they gave them direction. Stakeholder meetings were convened. Community leaders leaned in. Traditional institutions listened. And the peaceful demonstration did more than echo through the streets. It called the attention of key decision-makers: * The Owa Obokun of Ijesaland, whose palace became a center for dialogue and cultural mediation. * The Area Commander of the Nigerian Police, who ensured safety and civility during the student movement. * The Osun State House of Assembly, recognized that legislative understanding is essential to resolving the crisis. * The Management of the University of Ilesa, reminded that student welfare is inseparable from academic progress. And slowly, a new tone began to form. Not of victory, not yet — but of understanding and collective responsibility. A recognition that universities thrive not alone on government funding or academic excellence, but on an ecosystem where landlords, indigenes, students, transport operators, and campus leadership coexist in balance. This story is still in motion. But one thing is certain: The students of UNILESA have shown that young people do not protest because they are stubborn; they protest because they are aware. Because they understand that a future denied is a society delayed. And NAUS, standing in that space between community and institutions, has shown that leadership is not the noise made in crisis, but the calm direction given in pressure. This is not just a rent issue. It is a conversation about fairness, dignity, and the soul of education in Osun. The dialogue continues; informed, organized, and hopeful.