The Delta State Executive Council has approved the construction of new hostel blocks across state-owned tertiary institutions following growing concerns over a severe accommodation crisis affecting tens of thousands of students.
 
The decision, announced after the council meeting presided over by Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, comes amid revelations that more than 40,000 students in the state’s higher education institutions are struggling to secure on-campus housing.
 
Briefing journalists after the meeting, the Commissioner for Higher Education, Nyerhovwo Tonukari, said the approval covers the construction of separate male and female hostel blocks in each of the nine state-owned tertiary institutions.
  
Tonukari described the move as a critical intervention, noting that the rapid growth in student enrolment has far outpaced available accommodation facilities.
 
According to him, figures presented during recent convocation ceremonies at three of the state’s newly established universities revealed that the institutions alone currently host about 40,000 students.
 
He added that the situation is particularly acute at Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka, which has more than 35,000 students but hostel facilities capable of accommodating only about 2,000 students.
 
“The newer universities have even fewer hostel spaces, in some cases, only a few hundred beds, which makes the accommodation challenge more severe,” Tonukari said.
 
The development highlights a longstanding infrastructure gap within Delta State’s tertiary education system, where many students have been forced to rely on expensive off-campus housing, often located far from school premises and lacking adequate security.
 
Analysts say the pressure created by the rising student population has also fueled the proliferation of poorly regulated private hostels around university communities, raising concerns about the safety, cost, and welfare of students.