The Federal Government has expanded annual intake into Nigeria’s nursing institutions from 20,000 to roughly 50,000 places in order to plug severe shortages in the domestic healthcare sector.
The policy shift forms part of a wider human capital strategy tailored to support President Bola Tinubu’s economic roadmap, according to Minister of Education Dr Tunji Alausa.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Dr Alausa confirmed that student capacity has been scaled up across multiple disciplines, including medicine, dentistry, and pharmacy, since the administration took office.
“We want to be the manpower supplier of the world,” the minister stated. “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.”
The government anticipates the surge of healthcare graduates will significantly alleviate hospital staffing pressures within the next few years.
Dr Alausa noted: “As the President advances his vision of building a one trillion-dollar economy, education will remain at the centre of that transformation.”
The minister highlighted that industrial disputes with university teaching and non-teaching unions have been resolved through negotiation, yielding a calmer climate across tertiary institutions.
Dr Alausa also defended the long-term design of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), maintaining that structural permanence remains central to the policy.
“There is no value in introducing policies that cannot stand the test of time,” he added. “Sustainability is central to this administration’s philosophy, and that principle guided the design of NELFUND.”