Edino Chubiyo Cornelius 
Education Minister Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa
ABUJA, Nigeria – The Federal Government has invested more than ₦1 trillion in Nigeria’s tertiary education sector over the past two years, as part of efforts to expand access to higher education, improve infrastructure and strengthen the country’s skilled workforce, Minister of Education Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa has said.
Speaking on Tuesday during a meeting with members of the National Committee for the Advancement of Occupational Therapy, Audiology and Speech and Language Therapy Education in Abuja, Alausa said the investments support President Bola Tinubu’s human capital development agenda by ensuring that financial hardship no longer prevents qualified Nigerians from pursuing tertiary education.
The minister said the funding includes ₦250 billion for new student hostels, over ₦150 billion for the rehabilitation of hostels, classrooms and engineering workshops, and more than ₦130 billion to upgrade medical schools and expand their training capacity. He added that ₦52 billion has been allocated for modern equipment in 18 medical schools, while nearly ₦30 billion will establish 11 medical simulation laboratories to strengthen practical training for healthcare students.
Alausa also disclosed that almost ₦110 billion has been invested in engineering education through the rehabilitation of workshops and the procurement of modern equipment for federal universities of technology, conventional universities offering engineering programmes and polytechnics.
During the meeting, the committee’s chairman, Dr Victoria Omua Amu, said six Nigerian universities currently offer Audiology, five run Occupational Therapy, while three offer Speech and Language Therapy programmes. She said consultations are ongoing with the National Universities Commission (NUC) and other stakeholders to expand the programmes, while identifying delays in accessing TETFund support as a major implementation challenge. Alausa reaffirmed the government’s commitment to improving tertiary education quality and expanding access nationwide.
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