By Sandra Kenneth
The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to ensuring that no qualified Nigerian is denied tertiary education due to financial constraints, highlighting over ₦1 trillion in funding targeted at infrastructure, health, and engineering facilities across tertiary institutions.
Speaking during a meeting with the National Committee for the Advancement of Occupational Therapy, Audiology, and Speech and Language Therapy Education, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, stated that President Bola Tinubu’s administration has systematically removed financial barriers through student-focused reforms.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by the minister’s Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Ikharo Attah, Alausa affirmed that background or family income will no longer stifle academic ambition.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has opened up access so that coming from an indigent family or having poor parents will no longer stop you from achieving your goals. Education is no longer a barrier for students in this country,” Alausa said.
Breakdown of the ₦1 Trillion Investment
The minister detailed the allocation of the multi-billion-naira interventions rolled out over the past two years:
Student Accommodation: ₦250 billion allocated for new student hostels, alongside ₦150 billion dedicated to rehabilitating existing hostels, classrooms, and academic facilities.
Medical Training: Over ₦130 billion invested in upgrading medical schools nationwide, ₦52 billion approved for modern equipment across 18 medical institutions, and nearly ₦30 billion deployed to build 11 advanced medical simulation laboratories.
Engineering & Technology: Close to ₦110 billion directed toward constructing and equipping engineering workshops across polytechnics, conventional universities, and federal universities of technology.
Describing the interventions as unprecedented, Alausa noted that the funding covers new infrastructure, facility rehabilitation, procurement of state-of-the-art equipment, and capacity expansion for research and teaching.
The minister expressed confidence that these targeted investments would enable Nigerian institutions to produce skilled graduates capable of driving national innovation, industrialization, and economic growth.
