The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) has commenced construction of an ultra-modern hostel for medical students at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), with the formal handing over of the site to Colton Construction Ltd marking the beginning of the project.

The groundbreaking ceremony, held at the College of Medicine campus, Idi-Araba, is part of the federal government’s efforts to address the shortage of healthcare workers, a situation worsened by the continued emigration of trained professionals.

Speaking at the event, Vice-Chancellor of UNILAG, Prof. Folasade Ogunsola said the lack of adequate infrastructure has long limited the university’s capacity to train doctors. She noted that the institution currently graduates about 150 doctors and 50 nurses annually, which she described as insufficient for the country’s population of 226 million people.

“You cannot train healthcare personnel without having a hostel close to a hospital,” she said, adding that the institution’s long-term goal was to produce 1,000 doctors per year.

The proposed hostel will have four-bed rooms, each fitted with an en-suite bathroom and toilet facilities.

Managing Partner of Colton Construction Ltd, Dr. Collins Balogun, said the project is fully funded by TETFund and tied directly to President Bola Tinubu’s directive that Nigerian universities should collectively produce a minimum of 20,000 medical doctors annually. He added that similar projects are ongoing in other universities.

Also speaking, contractor of the project, Dr. Ajulo Anthony, said the project is expected to be completed within 24 months. Geotechnical works are expected to commence immediately following the handover of the site.