By Ben Adoga, Abuja
The Federal Government has invested more than ₦1 trillion in Nigeria’s tertiary education sector over the past two years, with President Bola Tinubu’s administration removing financial barriers that previously prevented thousands of qualified Nigerians from accessing higher education, Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, disclosed on Tuesday.
Alausa said the unprecedented investment, channelled into student support, infrastructure, medical and engineering education, as well as specialised training facilities, reflects the administration’s determination to build a globally competitive workforce through sustained investment in human capital.
The minister spoke during a meeting with members of the National Committee for the Advancement of Occupational Therapy, Audiology and Speech Therapy Education in Abuja, where he said President Tinubu had fundamentally changed access to higher education by ensuring that financial hardship no longer prevents qualified students from pursuing university education.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has opened up access to students so that coming from an indigent family or having poor parents will no longer stop you from achieving your dreams. Financial status is no longer a barrier to education in this country,” Alausa declared.
According to the minister, the administration’s education reforms are designed not only to widen access but also to reposition universities, polytechnics and colleges of education to produce graduates equipped with the skills required to drive innovation, industrialisation and economic growth.
He described education as the cornerstone of national development, saying the Tinubu administration was investing in young Nigerians because they represent the country’s greatest resource.
“We thank President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for believing in the youth of this country and giving them every opportunity to excel, contribute to their communities, serve Nigeria and compete globally,” he said.
Giving a breakdown of the investments, Alausa disclosed that the Federal Government has committed ₦250 billion to the construction of new hostels in tertiary institutions to address accommodation shortages and improve students’ living conditions nationwide.
He added that another ₦150 billion had been earmarked for the rehabilitation of existing hostels, classrooms, engineering workshops and other teaching facilities to strengthen learning and research across tertiary institutions.
In the health education sector, the minister said more than ₦130 billion has been invested in upgrading medical schools and expanding their training capacity to address the country’s healthcare manpower needs.
He added that ₦52 billion has also been committed to equipping 18 medical schools with modern facilities. In comparison, almost ₦30 billion has been invested in establishing 11 state-of-the-art medical simulation laboratories for practical clinical training.
Alausa further disclosed that the Federal Government has invested nearly ₦110 billion in engineering education through the construction and rehabilitation of engineering workshops and the procurement of modern equipment for Federal Universities of Technology, conventional universities offering engineering programmes and polytechnics.
Describing the interventions as among the largest investments ever made in Nigeria’s tertiary education sector, the minister said the more than ₦1 trillion committed within two years covered infrastructure expansion, rehabilitation of ageing facilities, procurement of modern equipment, establishment of specialised laboratories and strengthening of institutional capacity for quality teaching and research.
“This is amazing. What this President has done is rapidly transforming tertiary education in Nigeria,” Alausa said.
He maintained that beyond physical infrastructure, the investments are aimed at producing graduates with practical knowledge, technical competence and innovation skills capable of supporting Nigeria’s long-term economic transformation.
Earlier, Chairman of the National Committee for the Advancement of Occupational Therapy, Audiology and Speech and Language Therapy Education, Dr Victoria Omua Amu, said the committee had developed a one-year implementation roadmap, established governance structures and created specialised subcommittees to accelerate the development of the three emerging professional programmes across Nigerian universities.
She disclosed that six Nigerian universities currently offer Audiology programmes, five run Occupational Therapy programmes and three offer Speech and Language Therapy, adding that the University of Benin would begin Occupational Therapy in the 2026/2027 academic session. She, however, identified delays in the release of TETFund support as the committee’s major implementation challenge.
