The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, has reaffirmed that education remains central to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s ambition of building a one trillion-dollar Nigerian economy, saying ongoing investments in human capital development, skills acquisition and tertiary education reforms are laying the foundation for sustainable national growth.
Speaking during an interview at the weekend, Alausa said the Federal Government is repositioning Nigeria’s education sector to produce a globally competitive workforce capable of meeting domestic development needs while supplying skilled professionals to Africa and the international labour market.
According to the minister, the administration is leveraging Nigeria’s youthful population as a demographic advantage by expanding access to quality education and equipping young people with relevant knowledge and skills for the global economy.
“We want to be the manpower supplier of the world. We need to produce competent, skilled and educated young Nigerians who will drive our economy, contribute to Africa’s growth and compete successfully across the world,” he said.
Alausa said the government has significantly expanded admissions into health-related programmes to address shortages of critical healthcare professionals.
He disclosed that annual enrolment into nursing schools has risen from about 20,000 students before the current administration took office to approximately 50,000, while admissions into medicine, pharmacy and dentistry have also increased substantially.
The minister expressed optimism that the reforms would eliminate the country’s shortage of healthcare professionals within the next few years as thousands of newly trained graduates join the workforce.
He attributed the progress to President Tinubu’s commitment to education, describing the sector as the cornerstone of Nigeria’s economic transformation and a strategic pillar of the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
“As the President advances his vision of building a one trillion-dollar economy, education will remain at the centre of that transformation,” Alausa stated.
On the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), the minister assured Nigerians that the scheme was deliberately designed with a sustainable financing framework capable of supporting future generations of students.
He said President Tinubu had consistently directed ministers and heads of government agencies to ensure that reforms introduced by the administration remain sustainable beyond its tenure.
“There is no value in introducing policies that cannot stand the test of time. Sustainability is central to this administration’s philosophy, and that principle guided the design of NELFUND,” he said.
Speaking on industrial relations in tertiary institutions, Alausa credited President Tinubu’s leadership style, anchored on dialogue and mutual respect, for restoring confidence between the Federal Government and academic and non-academic staff unions.
According to him, the administration adopted a sincere and pragmatic approach to negotiations, ensuring that agreements reached were realistic, affordable and implementable.
He noted that the President fulfilled his promise to pay 50 per cent of withheld salaries inherited from previous disputes within months of assuming office, a move he said helped rebuild trust with university unions.
The minister also said the government approved a salary increase of nearly 40 per cent for workers in tertiary institutions as part of efforts to improve staff welfare while maintaining fiscal discipline.
Alausa said the prevailing industrial peace is already yielding positive outcomes, citing improvements in the global standing of Nigerian universities.
He noted that the latest Times Higher Education World University Rankings showed an increase in the number of Nigerian universities recognised globally from 21 to 24, with public universities reclaiming the top positions nationally for the first time in several years.
Describing the achievement as evidence of the impact of the government’s reforms, the minister said sustained investment in education and institutional stability is strengthening the global competitiveness of Nigerian universities.
He reaffirmed the Federal Ministry of Education’s commitment to implementing policies that expand access to quality education, strengthen human capital development and prepare Nigerian youths to compete effectively in a rapidly changing global economy.
According to him, education will remain the foundation of sustainable economic growth, national development and shared prosperity under the Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
