Education will remain the driving force behind President Bola Tinubu’s vision of building a $1tn Nigerian economy, the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, has said.
Speaking during an interview at the weekend, Alausa said the Federal Government is repositioning the education sector through investments in human capital development, skills acquisition and tertiary education reforms to produce a globally competitive workforce capable of driving economic growth.
According to the minister, the administration is expanding access to quality education and equipping young Nigerians with the knowledge and skills needed to compete in both local and international labour markets.
“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 one of the administration’s major interventions has been the expansion of admissions into health-related programmes to address the shortage of critical healthcare professionals.
He disclosed that annual enrolment into nursing schools has increased from about 20,000 students before the current administration assumed office to approximately 50,000, while admissions into medicine, pharmacy and dentistry have also risen significantly.
The minister expressed confidence that the reforms would eliminate the shortage of healthcare professionals in the coming years as more graduates join the workforce.
He attributed the progress to President Tinubu’s commitment to education, describing the sector as the foundation of the administration’s economic transformation 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.
Alausa also assured Nigerians that the Nigerian Education Loan Fund was designed on a sustainable financing model capable of supporting generations of students.
He explained that the administration deliberately structured the scheme to outlive the current government, in line with President Tinubu’s directive that major reforms should be sustainable.
“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.
On industrial harmony in tertiary institutions, the minister credited President Tinubu’s leadership style, anchored on dialogue and mutual trust, for restoring confidence between the Federal Government and academic and non-academic staff unions.
According to him, the administration fulfilled its commitment to pay 50 per cent of the withheld salaries inherited from previous disputes and also approved a salary increase of nearly 40 per cent for workers in tertiary institutions.
Alausa said the renewed industrial peace was already yielding positive outcomes across the higher education sector.
He pointed 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 top positions nationally.
The minister described the development as evidence that the Federal Government’s reforms are strengthening the country’s higher education system and reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to expanding access to quality education, developing human capital and preparing Nigerian youths to compete successfully in a rapidly changing global economy.
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