No qualified Nigerian will be denied tertiary education due to financial hardship, the Federal Government has assured, pointing to a sweeping funding overhaul that has injected over ₦1 trillion into the nation’s higher education sector.
Detailing the government’s major capital outlays, Minister of Education Dr Tunji Alausa highlighted that ₦250 billion has been allocated to build new student accommodation, with a further ₦150 billion spent on upgrading existing hostels, lecture halls, and workshops.
Medical training has seen a massive boost, including ₦130 billion to rehabilitate medical schools, ₦52 billion for advanced equipment across 18 institutions, and nearly ₦30 billion to build 11 clinical simulation laboratories. Additionally, almost ₦110 billion has been poured into engineering facilities across polytechnics and universities.
Dr Alausa described these interventions as unprecedented in scale, noting they cover everything from fresh infrastructure and modern teaching equipment to expanded research capacity.
“This is mind-boggling, what this President has done in rapidly transforming tertiary education,” the minister remarked, emphasizing that the multi-billion-naira funding drive aims to equip graduates with the practical expertise required to spark innovation and drive long-term industrial growth.
Speaking during a meeting with members of the National Committee for the Advancement of Occupational Therapy, Audiology and Speech and Language Therapy Education, Dr Alausa explained that President Bola Tinubu’s administration had systematically dismantled financial barriers for students.
A statement issued on Tuesday by the minister’s media adviser, Ikharo Attah, reiterated the administration’s resolve to guarantee quality education to every youth, regardless of their family’s economic status. The reforms are structured around human capital development to help young citizens contribute meaningfully on both national and global stages.
“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,” Alausa stated.
He added a note of appreciation to the President for backing the youth, before reaffirming the Ministry of Education’s commitment to working alongside tertiary institutions to ensure these substantial investments deliver stronger outcomes and better opportunities nationwide.