Accommodation challenges are among the most pressing challenges confronting Nigerian students, especially those of tertiary institutions. The rapidly increasing students’ enrollment without corresponding hostel capacities has been worrisome.
Many of the schools were established decades ago and have not significantly upgraded their facilities to accommodate the growing population. As a result, students often have to compete for limited spaces in hostels, with priority sometimes given to final-year students or those with special needs, leaving numerous others seeking alternative accommodation outside the campus.
Unfortunately, off-campus housing poses difficulties to students as many are either too expensive or poorly maintained. In addition to financial strain, some off-campus are sometimes, unsafe for occupants. These are considered distractions with the potential of affecting academic activities.
Against this backdrop, the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) is stepping in with a series of innovative interventions aimed at improving students’ welfare and learning conditions. The newly announced electric campus transportation scheme set to debut in 12 pilot institutions next month, marks a significant step towards easing the mobility challenges faced by students nationwide.
The Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono, disclosed this during a courtesy visit by a delegation of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), led by its National Secretary, Comrade Shedrack Anzaku.
The Executive Secretary assured that the Fund will in November, commission a new electric campus transportation scheme across selected tertiary institutions to ease the mobility challenges faced by students.
Echono said the initiative was part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive to improve the welfare and learning environment of Nigerian students through innovation and inclusion.
He said: “Students currently face many risks and spend so much in moving around campuses, especially those who live off-campus. From next month, we will be launching electric student shuttle services in selected institutions. The vehicles will be managed by students to ensure accountability and sustainability.”
He added that the electric vehicles will have designated charging points on each campus, with minimal costs per ride to ensure affordability.
According to him, the project is part of broader interventions designed to address accommodation, power supply and learning infrastructure across Nigerian tertiary institutions.
“The President challenged us to improve the conditions under which our students study – from hostels and classrooms to how they commute. We are massively investing in students’ hostels across 72 institutions and we will begin commissioning more projects soon.
Echono also revealed that TETFund is scaling up support for research laboratories, digital learning systems and sustainable power projects to strengthen the quality of higher education and make it globally competitive.
“We are building multi-purpose research laboratories across universities, including Kano, Port Harcourt, Lagos and Abuja, so that Nigerian researchers can conduct world-class research without having to send samples abroad”, he added.
On student welfare, the TETFund boss reiterated the government’s commitment to ensuring that every Nigerian child, regardless of background, has access to quality education and support through the National Student Loan Scheme now managed by the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFund).
“We are institutionalising funding to make sure every willing Nigerian child gets the opportunity to learn and succeed. The government is refocusing the fund to serve the interest of Nigerian students.
Also speaking, NANS National Secretary, Shedrack Anzaku, lauded the TETFund management for its transformative projects on campuses, noting that the Fund’s interventions have significantly improved infrastructure and learning facilities nationwide.
“Without TETFund, many of the structures we see today in our institutions would not exist. We commend Arc. Echono for his visionary leadership and for prioritising the welfare of Nigerian students”, Anzaku said.
He disclosed that the association had passed a vote of confidence on the TETFund boss, describing him as “a father and mentor”, who continues to engage constructively with student leaders to promote peace and progress in the education sector.
Also, the North-Central Coordinator of NANS, Husseini Ebu, applauded TETFund’s impact across institutions, urging the agency to sustain its funding drive to ensure continuity in campus development.
“We have seen your signature across our institutions. The structures you have built have redefined the learning environment. We urge you to continue so that the children of the poor can remain on campus and learn in dignity”, he said.
NANS also presented Echono with an award of excellence in recognition of his contributions to educational development and student welfare in Nigeria, and passed a vote of confidence on the TETFund management.
As Nigeria’s higher education system grapples with the growing pressures of population expansion, limited infrastructure and student welfare concerns, TETFund’s renewed interventions offer a glimmer of hope. The introduction of electric shuttle services, alongside massive investments in hostels, laboratories and digital learning systems, reflects a holistic effort to create a more conducive learning environment for students.
Pundits said that the initiatives will not only address immediate mobility and accommodation challenges but will also lay the groundwork for a more sustainable and inclusive future in tertiary education.
For many students who have endured years of inadequate accommodation, such interventions represent more than infrastructural improvements – they symbolize a renewed commitment to their dignity, safety and success.
By prioritising welfare-driven solutions and student participation, the Echono-led TETFund is indeed, helping to bridge the gap between government policy and campus reality, ensuring that development is both practical and people-centered.
