The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, has reaffirmed that education remains central to President Bola Tinubu’s vision of building a $1 trillion Nigerian economy by 2030.
Alausa said the Federal Government’s sustained investment in human capital development, skills acquisition and tertiary education reforms is laying the foundation for long-term economic prosperity.
The Minister spoke in Abuja while granting an interview with newsmen over the weekend.
He said the Tinubu administration is strategically repositioning the education sector to produce a globally competitive workforce capable of meeting Nigeria’s development needs while supplying highly skilled professionals to Africa and the global labour market.
According to a statement by the Minister’s Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Ikharo Attah, the Minister said the government is deliberately transforming Nigeria’s youthful population into a demographic dividend by expanding access to quality education and equipping young people with the skills required to thrive in an increasingly competitive 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,” Alausa said.
The Minister disclosed that one of the administration’s major interventions has been the aggressive expansion of admissions into health-related programmes to address longstanding shortages of critical professionals.
He revealed 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 been significantly expanded.
Alausa expressed confidence that the ongoing reforms would eliminate the shortage of healthcare professionals within the next few years as thousands of newly trained graduates enter the workforce.
He attributed the progress to President Tinubu’s unwavering commitment to education, describing the sector as the bedrock 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,” he said.
The Minister also assured Nigerians that the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND, has been deliberately structured on a sustainable financing model capable of supporting generations of students.
He explained that President Tinubu had consistently directed ministers and heads of government agencies to ensure that all major reforms introduced by the administration are designed to endure 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 stated.
On industrial harmony in the nation’s tertiary institutions, Alausa credited President Tinubu’s leadership style, anchored on dialogue, trust and mutual respect, for restoring confidence between the Federal Government and academic and non-academic staff unions.
He noted that the administration approached negotiations with sincerity while ensuring that agreements reached remained realistic, affordable and implementable.
According to the Minister, President Tinubu fulfilled his promise to pay 50 per cent of the withheld salaries inherited from previous disputes within months of assuming office, a move that helped rebuild trust between the government and university unions.
He added that the administration also approved a salary increase of nearly 40 per cent for workers in tertiary institutions as part of broader efforts to improve staff welfare while maintaining fiscal discipline.
Alausa said the renewed industrial peace is already yielding positive results, pointing to the latest Times Higher Education World University Rankings, which showed an increase in the number of Nigerian universities recognised globally from 21 to 24, with public universities reclaiming the country’s top positions for the first time in several years.
Describing the development as evidence that the Federal Government’s reforms are producing tangible outcomes, the Minister said the improved global competitiveness of Nigerian universities reflects sustained investments in education and institutional stability.
He reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to implementing transformative policies that expand access to quality education, strengthen human capital development and prepare Nigerian youths to compete successfully in a rapidly evolving global economy.
Alausa stressed that under President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, education will remain the cornerstone of sustainable economic growth, national development and shared prosperity, assuring Nigerians that the Ministry will continue to pursue reforms that unlock the full potential of the country’s greatest asset—its people.
