By Kabiru Haruna
The 2025 Ministerial Briefing was held at the National Press Centre, Radio House, Abuja, where the Honourable Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Olatunji Alausa, outlined the landscape of Nigeria’s education sector under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Dr. Alausa highlighted critical challenges in the sector, noting that of Nigeria’s 60 million school-age population, 45 million are categorized as learning poor, while 15 million remain out of school. He emphasized the need to transform these challenges into opportunities by increasing access to education and improving its quality.
With Nigeria’s population exceeding 200 million, of which 70% are under 30 years old, the minister stressed the importance of equipping the youth with skills relevant to the knowledge economy. He called for increased investment in human capital development and higher-quality education to empower young Nigerians.
The minister reiterated the government’s commitment to strengthening the Almajiri education system through grants and school feeding programs. He proposed cash and conditional transfers, with a 75% compliance requirement, to encourage school attendance among Almajiri children. Additionally, he acknowledged the poor state of 150 Almajiri schools established a decade ago, emphasizing the need for renewed funding and infrastructure development.
On school safety, Dr. Alausa highlighted measures taken to significantly reduce abductions, including deploying a special response team under the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
The minister called for a review of tertiary institution admission capacities, ensuring alignment with national education goals. He reaffirmed that Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) interventions would continue, addressing infrastructure and research needs.
In conclusion, the Honourable Minister of Information, Alhaji Mohammed Idris Malagi, launched FGN Connect, a government information platform aimed at combating misinformation. He emphasized the government’s commitment to transparency, stating, “No room for rumors. Stay updated.”
The briefing underscored the government’s strategic efforts to revamp Nigeria’s education system, ensuring inclusivity, quality, and security for all learners.
The educational sector in Nigeria is neglected compared to our African and Asian counterpart, most especially the tertiary institutions, the welfare of the staff in FTIs are very poor,the minimum wage uptill now are not fully implemented no consequential adjustment ,no wage awards areas for more than one year plus other entitlements, so need to wake up to address there demands in order to boost the educational sector for economic growth and development in Nigeria.