FG Commits ₦250bn To New Hostels, ₦130bn To Medical Schools
The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that financial limitations do not prevent qualified Nigerian students from obtaining higher education.
Speaking during a meeting in Abuja with members of the National Committee for the Advancement of Occupational Therapy, Audiology, and Speech and Language Therapy Education, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, stated that student-focused reforms under President Bola Tinubu’s administration have effectively eliminated economic barriers to tertiary learning.
To support this commitment, the government has directed over ₦1 trillion into upgrading infrastructure and expansion projects across federal universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
Key capital allocations made under the initiative include:
Hostel Infrastructure: ₦250 billion committed to constructing new student housing, with an additional ₦150 billion allocated for restoring existing hostels, classrooms, and academic facilities.
Medical Training: Over ₦130 billion directed to rehabilitating medical schools, alongside ₦52 billion approved for modern equipment across 18 medical institutions and nearly ₦30 billion invested in establishing 11 state-of-the-art clinical simulation laboratories.
Technical Education: Approximately ₦110 billion designated for building, renovating, and equipping engineering workshops in conventional and specialized universities, as well as polytechnics nationwide.
Dr. Alausa emphasized that these interventions aim to equip Nigerian graduates with practical, technical skills required for national development, while expanding overall capacity across institutions.
During the meeting, the committee chairperson, Dr. Victoria Omua Amu, highlighted ongoing progress in specialized health fields, noting that six universities currently offer Audiology, five run Occupational Therapy programs, and three offer Speech and Language Therapy. She added that the University of Benin is set to launch an Occupational Therapy program during the 2026/2027 academic session, while noting that timing gaps in funding disbursements remain an operational challenge.
The government’s broader higher education initiatives also include the operation of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, designed to provide interest-free loans to eligible students alongside institutional infrastructure backing provided through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund.
