BONAFIDE SQUATTERS, is a documentary that investigates the living conditions of thousands of university students in Lagos, Nigeria. Homelessness is a common challenge in many cities of the world, Lagos is no different. The economic and industrial capital of Nigeria holds an estimated 21 million people, making it the most populated city, not only in Nigeria, but in the whole of Africa.
While the housing needs continue to grow with the number of those who relocate to Lagos every year, those who live in Lagos pay many times more in house rents than those in most other cities and states. This situation has been a major challenge for the students who choose to study in Lagos.
For over 57,000 students in the University of Lagos, only about 8,000 bed spaces are provided, and even less between 2016 - 2017 as two male hostels were shut down for renovations. Alternative housing options in the environments outside and around these Schools are very expensive and unsubsidized, so exists as options for a privileged few. The general lack of space and inadequate accommodation for students is a problem the government and educational boards have offered no reasonable solutions to in decades. Squatting with friends or paying to be attached to overcrowded little hostel rooms, sleeping in classrooms or abandoned spaces and buildings, unhealthy and sometimes extremely harmful situations are some consequences of several attempts by students to find accommodation during years in school.
