The Federal Government has disclosed that more than N1 trillion has been invested in Nigeria’s tertiary education sector over the past two years, as part of sweeping reforms aimed at expanding access to higher education and upgrading learning infrastructure across universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.
Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, said the investments, championed by President Bola Tinubu’s administration, are intended to ensure that no qualified Nigerian is denied access to higher education because of financial hardship while equipping tertiary institutions with modern facilities to produce a globally competitive workforce.
According to a statement issued on Tuesday by the Minister’s Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Mr. Ikharo Attah, the administration has dismantled long-standing financial barriers to higher education through policies that widen access for students from low-income families, while simultaneously undertaking massive investments in infrastructure, specialized training facilities and academic equipment nationwide.
Speaking during a meeting with members of the National Committee for the Advancement of Occupational Therapy, Audiology and Speech and Language Therapy Education, Alausa said President Tinubu’s education reforms represent a deliberate investment in Nigeria’s human capital and future economic prosperity.
“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,” the minister said.
He commended the President for prioritizing education and creating opportunities that would enable Nigerian youths to excel and contribute meaningfully to national development.
While providing a breakdown of the investments, Alausa said the Federal Government has committed N250 billion to the construction of new student hostels across tertiary institutions, while more than N150 billion is being spent on the rehabilitation of existing hostels, classrooms, engineering workshops and other academic facilities.
He further disclosed that over N130 billion has been invested in rehabilitating medical schools and expanding their training capacity, with an additional N52 billion allocated for modern equipment in 18 medical schools and nearly N30 billion earmarked for the establishment of 11 state-of-the-art medical simulation laboratories to improve clinical training.
The minister also revealed that almost N110 billion has been invested in constructing and rehabilitating engineering workshops and providing modern equipment for Federal Universities of Technology, conventional universities offering engineering programmes and polytechnics.
While describing the interventions as among the largest investments ever made in Nigeria’s tertiary education sector,
Alausa said the over N1 trillion expenditure covers new infrastructure, rehabilitation of existing facilities, procurement of modern equipment, expansion of specialized laboratories and workshops, and initiatives aimed at strengthening teaching, learning and research.
He noted that the investments are designed not only to improve infrastructure but also to reposition Nigerian tertiary institutions to produce graduates with the technical knowledge, practical skills and innovative capacity required to drive industrialization and long-term economic growth.
During the meeting, Chairman of the National Committee for the Advancement of Occupational Therapy, Audiology and Speech and Language Therapy Education, Dr. Victoria Omua Amu, briefed the minister on the committee’s progress since its inauguration.
She said the committee has developed a one-year implementation plan, established a governance framework and constituted specialized subcommittees to advance advocacy, academic collaboration, clinical training and manpower development.
Amu also disclosed that six Nigerian universities currently offer Audiology programmes, five offer Occupational Therapy programmes, while three offer Speech and Language Therapy programmes.
She noted that the University of Benin will commence Occupational Therapy training in the 2026/2027 academic session, although delays in accessing TETFund support remain a major implementation challenge.
Alausa reaffirmed the Federal Ministry of Education’s commitment to collaborating with tertiary institutions and relevant stakeholders to ensure that the ongoing reforms translate into improved educational outcomes, stronger institutions and greater opportunities for Nigerian students.
He reiterated that no qualified Nigerian would be denied higher education because of financial constraints under the current administration.
