Tinubu Directs TETFund to Build 72 Modern Hostels by 2025

President Bola Tinubu has instructed the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to double the number of modern hostel facilities in tertiary institutions from 36 to 72 by 2025. This directive aims to foster industrial harmony in these institutions and ensure a stable academic calendar.

The Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono, announced this during a meeting with the leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students. A statement from the Fund, signed by the Director of Public Affairs, AbdulMumin Oniyangi, detailed the president’s plans and emphasized the importance of protecting public property during nationwide protests.

Echono noted that President Tinubu specifically asked the Minister of Education to ensure that students can complete their education without frequent disruptions. He also highlighted the president’s commitment to improving the quality of education and student welfare.

TETFund has already started constructing 36 modern hostel facilities in 2024, with several projects at different stages of completion. The president’s directive now mandates increasing this number to 72 by 2025. Echono mentioned that some of these projects are being carried out through public-private partnerships, with recent progress reported in Akwa Ibom and other locations.

Additionally, the president has instructed TETFund to work with relevant agencies to convert existing campus buses to CNG and provide mass transit buses for students as part of the Fund’s interventions for the following year.

On the issue of power supply, Echono expressed concern over the high electricity bills faced by universities, with some institutions paying between N300 million to N400 million monthly. TETFund is currently engaging with the Ministry of Power to find sustainable solutions, including alternative power sources, to alleviate these financial burdens.

Echono also announced that President Tinubu has ordered the immediate payment of four months’ salary arrears owed to the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU).