FG Invested Over N1trn In Tertiary Education In Two Years- Alausa

The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has said that the Federal Government has invested over N1trn in tertiary education in the past two years to remove financial barriers and transform learning in Nigeria.

Speaking during a meeting with members of the National Committee for the Advancement of Occupational Therapy, Audiology and Speech Therapy Education, Alausa said the massive investment covers new infrastructure, rehabilitation, modern equipment, and expansion of specialised facilities across universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.

Alausa who was speaking in a statement signed by his Special Adviser (Media and Communications) Ikharo Attah, disclosed that out of the N1trn, the government committed N250bn to the construction of new student hostels and over N150bn to the rehabilitation of existing hostels, classrooms, engineering workshops and other academic facilities.

“No qualified Nigerian should be denied higher education because of financial hardship.
“This President, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has opened up access to students so that not having money, or coming from an indigent family, or your parents being poor, will no longer stop you from achieving the opportunities you can achieve in life. Education is no longer a barrier for students in this country,” he said.

Alausa said the N250bn for new hostels has significantly improved accommodation and created more conducive learning environments, while the N150bn for rehabilitation is strengthening teaching, learning and research.

On medical education, the Minister revealed that more than N130bn has been invested in rehabilitating medical schools and expanding their capacity nationwide.

He added that N52bn has been committed to providing modern equipment for 18 medical schools, while nearly N30bn has been invested in establishing 11 state-of-the-art medical simulation laboratories to enhance practical clinical training and produce globally competitive healthcare professionals.

To strengthen engineering education and support industrial development, Alausa said the Federal Government has also invested almost N110bn in constructing and rehabilitating engineering workshops and providing modern equipment for Federal Universities of Technology, conventional universities and polytechnics.

“This is amazing. This is just mind-boggling what this President has done in rapidly transforming tertiary education,” he said.
He noted that the investments are repositioning Nigerian tertiary institutions to produce graduates with the knowledge, technical skills and practical competencies required to drive innovation and economic transformation.

During the engagement, Chairman of the National Committee, Dr Victoria Omua Amu, briefed the Minister on progress since inauguration.

She said the Committee developed a one-year implementation work plan with timelines and KPIs, established a governance framework, and set up three subcommittees on advocacy, academic liaison/clinical training, and manpower development.

Amu disclosed a baseline assessment showing six universities offer Audiology, five offer Occupational Therapy, and three offer Speech and Language Therapy.
She said consultations have begun with with the National Universities Commission (NUC), the Medical Rehabilitation Therapists (Registration) Board of Nigeria (MRTB), universities, professional associations and private tertiary education providers, with the first stakeholder engagement held in Benin City.
She added that the University of Benin will begin offering Occupational Therapy in the 2026/2027 academic session, and cited delay in TETFund release as the major challenge.

Alausa reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to work with institutions to ensure the reforms translate to better outcomes, and reiterated that no qualified student would be denied access due to financial hardship.