The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced plans to invest ₦250 billion in the construction and expansion of student hostels across tertiary institutions nationwide.
An initiative aimed at improving student welfare and expanding access to quality education through better accommodation facilities.
The announcement follows a recent outcry by a visually impaired student of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Nnamdi Daniel, who shared a viral video highlighting the poor state of his institution’s hostel.
In the video, Daniel exposed the deplorable and unsanitary conditions of the Alvan Ikoku hostel, sparking widespread criticisms and concerns over student welfare on social media.
The federal government’s intervention, which comes amid public outrage and reports of alleged threats and attempted eviction of Daniel from the school hostel. An outcry which further intensified conversations around the state of student accommodation in Nigerian universities.
Meanwhile, the university administration, through its Acting Public Relations Officer (PRO), denied claims of Daniel’s eviction. In an official statement, the institution described the allegations as “false and misleading,” insisting that Daniel remains a student and has not been removed from the hostel.
Speaking on the accommodation challenges facing students in higher institutions, the Minister of Education, Maruf Olatunji Alausa, outlined the government’s plans to construct 500-bed hostels in about 50 universities across the country.
He also disclosed that the programme will support 24 Public-Private Partnership (PPP) hostel projects, each expected to provide between 1,200 and 1,500 bed spaces per institution.
According to the minister, the intervention will be funded through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), which will also support the expansion and upgrading of existing hostel facilities nationwide.
By Musekir Faisat Omolara
