The Vice Chancellor of Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, Professor Muhammad Hadi Sulaiman, has expressed the institution’s readiness to collaborate with the private sector to address the growing student accommodation challenges through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement.
Professor Hadi made this known during a presentation on a proposal for the construction of a 1,300-bed-space hostel for male and female students. He commended the initiative as timely and aligned with the university’s commitment to improving student welfare.
“We welcome every genuine partnership that seeks to solve practical problems like accommodation,” the Vice Chancellor said. “This project is one of those we look forward to with optimism, and our technical team will work closely with the partners to refine the details.”
He further emphasized the inclusion of recreational facilities such as table tennis courts and internet connectivity, urging the partners to ensure that the project balances aesthetics with functionality and durability.
Presenting the proposal, Quantity Surveyor Abubakar Wakili (FNIOQS), Chief Executive Officer of Wakil Consult Limited, explained that the proposed project would deliver modern, solar-powered, and sustainable hostels under a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model. He noted that the model is designed to ease the financial burden on the university while ensuring student safety and comfort.
Wakili disclosed that the facility could be developed either as a three-storey hostel block or a cluster of smaller units, each accommodating between two and six students per room. Both designs, he said, would include kitchens, laundry areas, porters’ lodges, and security posts, with a strong focus on renewable energy and sustainability.
He added that the project aims to reduce the risks associated with off-campus housing, where incidents of insecurity have affected students in recent times.
“We have over two decades of experience in construction, including previous hostel projects within this university,” Wakili stated. “The financing model will ensure that the university bears no immediate financial risk, while ownership will revert to the institution after an agreed period of not more than 25 years.”
According to him, hostel fees and operational modalities would be jointly determined with the university to ensure affordability and sustainability.
In their separate remarks, the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academics), Professor Muhammad Aliyu Bello; the University Librarian, Dr. Abubakar N. Usman; and the Director, Physical Planning and Development, Arc. Nathan Galadima, raised questions regarding sustainability, cost-effectiveness, design functionality, and maintenance.
The Registrar, Alhaji Sale Idris Kusherki, reaffirmed the university’s commitment to partnerships that promote academic excellence and infrastructural development. He commended the interest shown in contributing to the growth of IBB University and assured that the institution’s technical committee would continue to engage with the partners to ensure the project’s success.
