The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has commissioned a 244-bed female hostel at Ken Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic, Bori River State

The commissioning is part of ongoing efforts by the Federal Government to address students’ accommodation challenges in public tertiary institutions in the country.

While commissioning the hostel, the member representing the South-South Geopolitical Zone on the TETFund Board of Trustees, Hon. Aboh Uduyok commended the management of the institution for the timely delivery of the project.

He said: “Today’s event is more than a commissioning; it is a celebration of partnership, vision, and progress. Across Nigeria, TETFund has been commissioning completed projects in beneficiary institutions.

“This reflects the Fund’s steady pursuit of excellence and impact through purposeful interventions. What we witness here today is a demonstration of prudent resource management and a shared commitment to transforming Nigeria’s tertiary education sector, in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, we are assembled here today for the commissioning of a 244 – Bed Female Student Hostel project whose total cost is N1,399,965,179.25 sponsored by TETFund. It is gratifying to note that this project has been delivered under the present challenging economic conditions, and this is a tangible symbol of resilience, integrity, and commitment.

“This stands as part of TETFund’s continuous effort to ensure that all beneficiary institutions have the requisite physical infrastructure to support innovation, creativity, and excellence in technical and vocational education.”

Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arc. Sonny Echono, who was represented by Engr. Samson Imoni of TETFund’s Monitoring and Evaluation Department commended the institution for demonstrating prudence, integrity and discipline in its management of public funds.

Also speaking, Rector of the polytechnic, Dr. Ledum Gwarah expressed appreciation to TETFund for its invention role in the institution.

“This project brings us immense joy because it is not merely a building, it is a facility that transforms lives. With the comfort provided here, our students will be encouraged to remain on campus, concentrate on their studies, and thrive in a safe and conducive environment,” he said.

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has disbursed N116 billion to cover institutional fees and upkeep allowances for students across the country.

This was disclosed to journalists in Abuja by the Managing Director of the Fund, Mr Akintunde Sawyerr.

Sawyerr said this was a milestone in the federal government’s commitment to affordable and inclusive tertiary education in the country.

According to him, N65 billion  has been paid directly to 239 government-owned institutions. including universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, on behalf of students whose loan applications were approved.

In his own words, “We have been able to pay fees and upkeep for 624,000 students in 239 institutions – government-owned universities, polytechnics, colleges of education”.
On the monthly upkeep allowances, directly to the beneficiaries, he said, “We have paid out N51 billion as monthly upkeep. It is a lot of money and a lot of people have received the upkeep”.

Giving further breakdown on the progress of the scheme, the NELFUND boss added that, the Fund received a total of 1,067,000 loan applications. Out of the figure, 624,000 students were granted approval and have benefitted.

He added that NELFUND had continued to record high engagement of students’ applications on daily basis.

Sawyer emphasised that the education loan scheme is one of the flagship social investment initiatives of the Tinubu administration. It is fashioned to take away financial burdens from students in tertiary institutions, ensuring that no Nigerian is denied education due to lack of funds.

With the scheme gaining popularity and more number of applicants wanting to benefit, he reiterated his commitment to transparency and efficiency in managing NELFUND.

By Son Tertsea

The 2022 National Language Policy, which stipulated that the language of instruction from early childhood to Primary Six should be the mother tongue or the language of the immediate community was yesterday reversed by the Federal Government.

Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, Minister of Education while speaking yesterday at the opening of the Language in Education International Conference 2025, organised by the British Council,  in Abuja said English will now be the language of instruction in Nigerian schools from primary through tertiary levels.

Alausa attributed then policy change to the poor performance of Nigeria children in public examinations because they were taught in their mother tongues.

Citing evidence-based, data-driven research by the education ministry he said the policy had destroyed the education system, as pupils and students often advanced to higher classes without learning essential skills.

Accordingly, “The National Policy on Language has been cancelled. English is now the language of instruction in our schools, from primary to tertiary levels. As you know, one of the most important and powerful things in education is language. That’s how the role of language instruction is going to be developed in all subjects”, he stressed.

He added that the Nigerian languages diversity has not helped matters either, “The language policy in Nigeria states that mother tongue will be used in the early stage of primary school, Primary One. But we’ve seen significant over-supervision into geopolitical zones of the country, and no use of that policy in other zones”.

Alausa continued, “We reviewed the data available to us. Is teaching in the mother tongue really working for us? The unanimous outcome of our review, which is evidence-based, data-driven, and combined with real-life situations in the geopolitical zones, shows overuse of mother tongue from Primary One to Primary Six, and even from JSS One to JSS Three.

“We’ve seen total destruction of Nigeria’s system, where children graduate up to JSS Three or even SS Three without learning anything. They go on to sit national exams—WAEC, JAMB, NECO—and fail.”

The minister highlighted regional linguistic disparities, saying, “Exams are conducted in English, but we taught these kids through their mother tongue. In Borno State, the mother tongue is Hausa, but many speak Kanuri. In Lagos, areas like Ajegunle have predominantly southeastern populations, but 90% of teachers are from the southwest. This diversity requires a unified approach to language instruction.”

In his address at the occasion, Country Director of the British Council, Nigeria,  Donna McGowan, said the conference would provide stakeholders the opportunity to improve English language proficiency and administer different English language testing solutions.

The aim of the conference, according to her, is to bring together policymakers, educators, researchers, and partners from across Africa, South Asia, and the UK to explore how language can support inclusion and improve learning outcomes across education systems.

Broadly, the 2022 National Language Policy was aimed at promoting indigenous languages and preserving cultural heritage, recognising the country’s over 600 languages, where about 29 are already extinct.

However, the policy faced different challenges including difficulty in developing teaching materials, issues with the training of teachers, and problems coming from the settlement of different ethnic groups together with such linguistic diversity posing challenges in impactful teaching of children.