The Federal Government, through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), has announced plans to construct a 168-room ultra-modern hostel for medical students of the University of Lagos (UNILAG).
The project, which officially commenced with a groundbreaking ceremony at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, is being handled by Colton Construction. According to the company’s Chief Executive, Dr. Anthony Ajulo, the hostel marks a major infrastructure upgrade for the institution.
He explained that the three-storey facility will consist of 168 self-contained rooms, each designed to accommodate two students. Ajulo described the project as the first of its kind at UNILAG in a long time and noted that it aligns with the Federal Government’s goal of increasing the number of trained healthcare professionals in Nigeria.
Ajulo added that student accommodation remains a major challenge, especially in a densely populated city like Lagos. He expressed confidence that the new hostel would support the target of producing up to 1,000 doctors annually. The project is expected to be completed within 24 months.
Vice Chancellor of UNILAG, Folasade Ogunsola, praised the initiative, stating that the university is actively working to train and retain more healthcare professionals in the country. She highlighted the ongoing shortage of medical personnel and the limitations posed by inadequate infrastructure.
Ogunsola noted that with Nigeria’s large population, the current output of about 150 doctors and 50 nurses annually from UNILAG is insufficient. She stressed that effective training in the medical field requires not just classrooms and laboratories, but also adequate hostel facilities close to hospitals, given the demands of clinical duties such as night calls.
She further emphasized that medical education is highly practical and mentorship-driven, making proper infrastructure essential for quality training.
Also speaking, the Principal Partner of Colton Construction Limited, Dr. Collins Balogun, said the project is part of broader efforts to address the country’s brain drain in the health sector. He revealed that the Federal Government aims to significantly increase the number of medical doctors trained annually.
Balogun stated that the project is fully funded by TETFund and falls under the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda. He added that improving infrastructure is critical to achieving the target of producing at least 20,000 doctors each year.
He concluded by noting that similar projects may be replicated across other parts of the country to strengthen Nigeria’s healthcare education system and improve student welfare.
