President Bola Tinubu has instructed the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to increase the number of modern hostels in tertiary institutions from 36 to 72 by 2025.
Mr. Sonny Echono, the Executive Secretary of TETFund, announced this plan during a meeting with the leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Director of Public Affairs, Mr. AbdulMumin Oniyangi, Echono said President Tinubu’s instruction was part of his broader effort to promote industrial peace and stability in the nation’s tertiary institutions.
Echono also urged students to avoid damaging campus public property during the planned nationwide protests.
Echono emphasized the importance of maintaining a stable academic calendar, stating that upon hearing about frequent disruptions in the academic calendar, the President specifically instructed the minister to prioritize harmony within the sector.
“We can establish a consistent academic schedule for our students, determine their graduation date, and make sure they adhere to it.
“We are also pleased that this same president gave a charge to us at TETFund that we must do everything possible to improve the learning experience of our students, the quality of education we are getting, and your welfare on campus,” he said.
According to Echono, the fund has already begun building 36 modern hostels in tertiary institutions this year and, following the President’s directive, will expand the project to construct an additional 36 hostels, bringing the total to 72 by 2025.
He said: “This year we are doing about 36 of them and are at various stages; many of them have fulfilled the procurement circle.
“Others are being done through PPP. I was there to launch the one in Akwa Ibom, and I have been informed that three others are ready to commence.
“But the good news is that Mr. President has directed that we intensify this. So instead of doing 36, next year we’ll be doing 72.”
Echono also said that, following his discussion with the President about campus transportation, the fund has been instructed to collaborate with relevant agencies to retrofit existing buses to use Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and provide mass transit buses for students on campuses as part of TETFund’s 2025 initiatives.
Additionally, Echono expressed concern about the exorbitant electricity bills faced by universities, with some institutions paying between N300 million and N400 million per month.
He disclosed that TETFund has commenced conversations with the Federal Ministry of Power about addressing the issue of power supply in tertiary schools.
He said: “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.
“As I speak, some universities are getting N300 million or N400 million electricity bills in one month. How can they cope? Some are even rationing; they have light for only four hours a day.”
Echono also announced that the President had recently directed prompt settlement of four months’ outstanding salary arrears to the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), bringing relief to the affected staff members.
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