Federal govt to inaugurate 1,600-capacity hostel in Akwa Ibom varsity

The Federal Government, in collaboration with Family Homes Funds Limited (FHFL), is set to commission a new 1,600-bed hostel at Akwa Ibom State University, Ikot Akpaden. This facility marks a significant milestone as the first university-level project completed under the National Student Housing Programme (NASHP).

Abdul-Mutallab Mukhtar, the managing director and CEO of FHFL, announced that the inauguration will be attended by Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State, Minister of Finance Taiwo Oyedele, and Minister of Education Tunji Alausa. The NASHP is structured as a Public-Private Partnership, involving FHFL for development finance and program management, the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to anchor interventions within tertiary education funding, and the Student Housing Company (SHC) to provide private capital and long-term facilities management.

Mukhtar highlighted that the Akwa Ibom hostel is the second completed site within the broader 24-institution program, following an earlier project at the College of Education in Warri, Delta State. The national initiative is designed to ultimately deliver 38,400 bed spaces across a total of 12 universities, six polytechnics, and six colleges of education throughout the country. Each hostel within the program features 1,600 bed spaces, comprising 400 en suite rooms equipped with study tables, chairs, reading rooms, a common room, and a cafeteria.

The program is also expected to generate employment opportunities through the engagement of local contractors, artisans, and suppliers, in addition to creating permanent roles in facility management at the participating institutions. FHFL, as a government-promoted social housing institution, focuses on financing and supporting affordable housing development while simultaneously creating jobs and assisting low- and middle-income Nigerians in achieving homeownership.

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SHC provides private capital and long-term facilities management, reducing pressure on government and institutions to finance accommodation infrastructure