By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
The Federal Government, through the Family Homes Funds Limited (FHFL), has commenced the implementation of a national student housing programme designed to deliver 38,400 bed spaces across 24 tertiary institutions in the country, comprising universities, polytechnics and colleges of education spread across the six geopolitical zones.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of FHFL, Abdul-Mutallab Mukhtar, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, 20 August, 2026 in Abuja, noting that the initiative was aimed at addressing accommodation shortages in tertiary institutions across the country.
Mukhtar explained that two projects had already been completed under the programme, one at the Akwa Ibom State University, Ikot Akpaden, and the other at the College of Education, Warri, Delta State, adding that eight additional institutions were currently under construction, while further projects were expected to commence across the country before the end of 2026.
He said the initiative targeted a student population exceeding 2.1 million nationwide, noting that fewer than 15 per cent of that population could currently be accommodated on campuses.
The FHFL boss lamented that the inadequate accommodation situation had continued to force students into expensive and poorly serviced off-campus housing, while long commuting distances affected their academic activities.
He explained that Nigeria’s public tertiary system carried a student population in excess of 2.1 million, yet fewer than 15 per cent of those students could be accommodated on campus, leaving the remainder to rely on off-campus housing that was frequently overpriced, poorly serviced and, in a growing number of university towns, genuinely unsafe.
According to him, the consequences of the accommodation shortage were not confined to student welfare alone, as commuting distances eroded study time, insecure accommodation drove dropout rates among female students in particular, while landlords in campus-adjacent communities operated in a market devoid of supply-side discipline.
Mukhtar disclosed that each of the completed projects provided 1,600 bed spaces across 400 en-suite rooms equipped with study tables and chairs, adding that the facilities also included reading rooms, common rooms, cafeteria and restaurant spaces, laundromats and grocery outlets, all designed to provide serviced residential environments for students.
He explained that the projects were structured under a Public-Private Partnership involving FHFL, the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) and the Student Housing Company.
Mukhtar further disclosed that each project would engage contractors, artisans, suppliers and haulage operators during the construction phase, while creating permanent jobs upon completion.
