President Bola Tinubu has instructed the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to double the number of modern hostels in tertiary institutions from 36 to 72 by 2025. This directive is part of his broader strategy to ensure industrial harmony and improve the learning environment in Nigeria's tertiary institutions.
The Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono, disclosed this during a meeting with the leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS). According to a statement released by TETFund on Tuesday, this initiative follows the President’s commitment to address frequent disruptions in the academic calendar and improve student welfare on campuses.
Echono highlighted the President's mandate to enhance the quality of education and ensure a stable academic calendar. “The President has given specific instructions to the minister that one of your first expectations is for us to have harmony in the sector, so we can have a predictable academic calendar that our students will go to school and know when they will graduate and ensure that is kept,” Echono stated.
TETFund has already begun the construction of 36 modern hostel facilities in 2024, with many projects at various stages of completion. The President's new directive will see this number increase to 72 by 2025. “This year we are doing about 36 of them and are at various stages; many of them have fulfilled the procurement cycle. Others are being done through PPP,” Echono explained.
Additionally, President Tinubu has addressed the issue of campus transportation, directing TETFund to work with relevant agencies to convert existing buses to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and provide mass transit buses for students as part of the fund’s intervention for next year.
Regarding power supply on campuses, Echono noted the significant financial burden faced by some universities, which are charged between N300 million to N400 million in electricity bills per month. TETFund is collaborating with the Ministry of Power to find sustainable solutions to reduce these costs and ensure reliable power supply.
“It’s going to be one of the major issues we are going to look at when we call our major stakeholders meeting of all heads of schools. We have to put our heads together to see how we need to have alternative power sources that will reduce the burden,” Echono said.
In addition, the President has ordered the immediate payment of four months' salary arrears owed to members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU).
Echono also urged students to protect public properties on campuses and avoid destruction during the planned nationwide protests, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a conducive learning environment.
