Hostel operators charging “exorbitant” fees amid deplorable conditions — Hamza

A member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) national communications team, Hamza Suhuyini, has criticised hostel owners for charging high prices while allegedly failing to maintain basic sanitation standards.

His comments come amid ongoing operations by the Rent Control Department under the Ministry of Works and Housing, which has been clamping down on hostels and facilities charging unapproved rates.

The move follows concerns raised by the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) over alleged breaches of the Rent Act by some hostel operators.

Speaking on Accra-based Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana on Friday, May 8, Hamza said the cost of accommodation is in contract with the poor conditions students are subjected to.

“And even with these amounts of money that they are charging them, their facilities are deplorable,” he said.

He further described what he termed unsanitary conditions in some facilities, questioning the justification for the high charges imposed on students.

“You go to their washroom… it is not as if they have people standing by to clean consistently,” he stated.

Hamza added that in some cases, students are forced to endure unhygienic conditions due to lack of alternatives, describing the situation as exploitation.

He appealed for government intervention and urged President John Dramani Mahama to direct relevant state agencies to act decisively on the matter to improve conditions in student hostels across the country.