President Bola Tinubu's administration has removed financial barriers to tertiary education through student-focused reforms and over ₦1 trillion in investments across universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education. Dr. Tunji Alausa, Minister of Education, assured during a meeting with members of the National Committee for the Advancement of Occupational Therapy, Audiology, and Speech and Language Therapy Education.
According to a statement issued on Tuesday by Ikharo Attah, Special Adviser to the Minister on Media and Communications, the administration is determined to ensure that every qualified Nigerian, regardless of socioeconomic status, has access to quality higher education.
Alausa stated that President Tinubu prioritized human capital development by enacting measures that removed financial barriers that had previously prohibited many young Nigerians from obtaining a college education.
"This President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has opened up access to students so that not having money, coming from an impoverished family, or having poor parents will no longer prevent you from achieving the opportunities you deserve in life." "Education is no longer a barrier for students in this country," he declared.
The minister noted that the President's policies sought to empower young Nigerians to make important contributions to national development.
“We thank President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for believing in the youth of this country and giving them all the opportunities for them to excel, to be useful to themselves, to be useful to their communities, to be useful to the country and to the global world at large,” Alausa stated.
The Federal Government has invested about ₦1 trillion in tertiary education over the last two years, in addition to extending access.
He stated that ₦250 billion has been allocated for new student hostels at tertiary institutions, while over ₦150 billion has been invested on refurbishing existing hostels, classrooms, engineering workshops, and academic facilities.
The minister revealed that over ₦130 billion has been invested in repairing medical schools and expanding national training capacity.
Another ₦52 billion has been approved for contemporary equipment in 18 medical schools, and over ₦30 billion has been spent in 11 state-of-the-art medical simulation facilities to enhance clinical teaching.
Alausa stated that the Federal Government invested nearly ₦110 billion in constructing and rehabilitating engineering workshops and in providing modern equipment for federal universities of technology, traditional universities offering engineering programs, and polytechnics.
He described the interventions as among the largest investments in Nigeria's tertiary education history, stating that they included new infrastructure, facility rehabilitation, modern equipment procurement, the expansion of specialised laboratories and workshops, and the strengthening of institutional capacity for teaching, learning, and research.
"This is great. The minister described the President's quick transformation of tertiary education as mind-boggling.
He also stated that the investments would allow postsecondary institutions to generate graduates with the knowledge, technical skills, and practical competences required to support innovation, industrialization, and long-term economic prosperity.
Alausa emphasized the ministry's commitment to collaborating with tertiary institutions and other stakeholders to ensure the reforms result in better educational outcomes, stronger institutions, and more opportunities for Nigerian students.
During the meeting, Dr. Victoria Omua Amu, Chairman of the National Committee for the Advancement of Occupational Therapy, Audiology, and Speech and Language Therapy Education, informed the minister about the committee's work.
She stated that the group has created a one-year implementation work plan, established a governance framework, and formed specialized subcommittees to boost advocacy, academic collaboration, and workforce development.
Amu stated that six Nigerian universities currently offer Audiology programs, five offer Occupational Therapy programs, and three offer Speech and Language Therapy programs, and that the University of Benin will launch an Occupational Therapy program in the 2026/2027 academic year.
She did, however, identify delays in the receipt of TETFund support as a significant impediment to implementation.
The federal government has prioritized extending access to higher education as part of President Bola Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda.
In the last year, it has established the Nigerian Education Loan Fund to provide interest-free loans to qualified students, while dramatically expanding investment in higher education facilities through the Higher Education Trust Fund.
The administration has also prioritized the repair of medical schools, engineering workshops, student hostels, and other learning facilities to increase the quality of teaching, research, and innovation at Nigeria's universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.