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TETFund: Tinubu Directs Expansion Of Modern Hostels In Universities To 72 By 2025
President Tinubu directs TETFund to increase modern hostel facilities in tertiary institutions from 36 to 72 by 2025.
EKO HOT BLOG reports that President Bola Tinubu has directed the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to double the number of modern hostels in tertiary institutions from 36 to 72 by 2025.
Sonny Echono, the Executive Secretary of TETFund, made this announcement during a meeting with the leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).
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In a statement released on Tuesday and signed by AbdulMumin Oniyangi, Director of Public Affairs at TETFund, the President’s directive is part of his broader strategy to ensure industrial harmony in the education sector.
Echono emphasized the importance of maintaining a stable academic calendar and urged students to protect public property during upcoming nationwide protests. He highlighted that President Tinubu specifically instructed that one of the key expectations from the ministry is to ensure sectoral harmony for a predictable academic schedule, allowing students to plan their education and graduation accordingly.
Additionally, Echono noted the President’s commitment to enhancing students’ learning experiences, educational quality, and campus welfare. He revealed that TETFund has already begun constructing 36 modern hostel facilities in 2024 and has been directed to increase this number 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 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,” he said.
He also noted that after raising the issue of campus transportation with the president, he directed the fund to work with relevant agencies to convert existing buses to CNG and provide mass transit buses for students on campus as part of TETFund’s intervention for next year.
On the issue of power on campuses, Echono lamented that some universities were charged between N300 million to N400 million as electricity bills in one month, wondering how the institutions can cope if there is no urgent intervention.
He disclosed that TETFund has commenced conversations and held a meeting with people from the Ministry of Power to find a way to address the issue of power supply in tertiary schools.
“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.
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“As I speak, some universities are getting N300 million, N400 million bill for electricity in one month. How can they cope? Some are even rationing; they have light for only four hours a day,” he said.
He further revealed that the president has also directed the immediate payment of four months salary arrears owed Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU.
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