FG invests over N1 trillion in tertiary education in two years, Alausa says

The Federal Government says it has invested more than N1 trillion in Nigeria’s tertiary education sector over the past two years to improve infrastructure and expand access to higher education.

The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja during a meeting with members of the National Committee for the Advancement of Occupational Therapy, Audiology, Speech and Language Therapy Education, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Alausa said the investments are aimed at strengthening learning infrastructure, expanding institutional capacity, and removing financial barriers that have limited access to higher education for qualified Nigerians.

What they are saying

Alausa said the investment covers infrastructure development, rehabilitation projects, specialised laboratories, engineering workshops, equipment procurement, and institutional capacity building across public tertiary institutions.

• “The Federal Government says it has invested more than N1 trillion in the tertiary educational sector within two years, while removing financial barriers preventing qualified students from accessing higher education.
• ‎The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja, during a meeting with members of the National Committee for the Advancement of Occupational Therapy, Audiology, Speech and Language Therapy Education,” the NAN report read in part.

The minister said the investments are aimed at improving learning conditions, equipping graduates with industry-relevant skills, and removing financial barriers to higher education.

Breakdown of investments

Alausa said N250 billion had been committed to constructing new hostels, while over N150 billion had been invested in rehabilitating hostels, classrooms, engineering workshops, and other academic facilities.

• The minister said the government invested over N130 billion in rehabilitating medical schools, approved N52 billion for modern equipment in 18 medical schools, and committed almost N30 billion to establishing 11 medical simulation laboratories.
• He added that almost N110 billion had also been invested in engineering workshops and modern equipment for federal universities of technology, conventional universities offering engineering programmes, and polytechnics.

Alausa said the reforms are designed to ensure that qualified Nigerians are not denied access to tertiary education because of financial hardship.

More insights

The NAN report further stated that Dr. Victoria Amu, Chairman of the National Committee for the Advancement of Occupational Therapy, Audiology and Speech and Language Therapy Education, said the committee had developed a one-year implementation plan, established governance structures, and begun stakeholder consultations to expand specialised healthcare education programmes.

• Amu said six Nigerian universities offer Audiology programmes, five offer Occupational Therapy, and three offer Speech and Language Therapy.
• She added that the committee has engaged the National Universities Commission (NUC), the Medical Rehabilitation Therapists Registration Board of Nigeria (MRTB), and tertiary institutions.
• According to her, delays in TETFund support remain a major implementation challenge.

Alausa reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to supporting tertiary institutions through sustained investments in teaching, research, and innovation.

What you should know

Nairametrics has previously reported several major Federal Government interventions aimed at improving infrastructure, research, and digital capacity across Nigeria’s tertiary education sector.

• In May 2025, the Federal Government approved N110 billion under the TETFund High Impact Intervention Project to rehabilitate medical schools in 18 public universities.
• In July 2025, it launched the $40 million Blueprint ICT Development (Blueprint ICT Dev) Project, with $38 million earmarked for ICT upgrades in 10 federal universities and $2 million for a National STEM Transformation Strategy.
• In August 2025, the government approved N4.2 billion under the 2024 TETFund National Research Fund (NRF) to support 158 research projects and establish innovation and entrepreneurship hubs in selected tertiary institutions.

These interventions represent some of the major tertiary education investments reported by Nairametrics over the past two years.