TETFund to build hostels, labs in tertiary institutions

The Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Prof. Sulieman Bogoro, says following the pronouncement that only 15 percent of Nigerian students are in hostels in public tertiary institutions, the TEFTund is hoping to engage in hostels’ development.

Bogoro, in an interview with journalists in Abuja, said the situation was embarrassing to Nigerian institutions.

“How do we intend to attract scholars from outside? Let it be reversed patronage from Ghana South Africa, Egypt, Rwanda, Sudan. We cannot attract those calibre of people if they come here and there is no accommodation.

“That our students are living with criminals because there are no hostels and if we build hostels, they are over congested, a room meant for four people is occupied by 10 more people, it is that bad.

“We are hoping to go for ‘Centres of Excellence’ in the next five years, its only World Bank that has been giving us that, TETFund from next year wants to have theirs and if possible, we will add multidisciplinary laboratories mainly around STEM disciplines,” he said.

Bogoro stressed the need for researchers to exchange ideas.

He said it was unfortunate that Nigerian universities had concentrated on teachings at the expense of research.

“Even when they do research, it’s for promotion and we are clapping when they mention a professor has 500 publications when out of the 500, there is no product developed out of it,” he said.