WorldStage— The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, has reaffirmed that education will remain the driving force behind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s vision of building a one trillion-dollar Nigerian economy, saying the Federal Government’s sustained investments in human capital development, skills acquisition and tertiary education reforms are laying the foundation for long-term national prosperity.
Speaking at the weekend, the Minister said the administration is deliberately repositioning Nigeria’s education sector to produce a globally competitive workforce capable of meeting the country’s development needs while supplying highly skilled professionals to Africa and the international labour market.
According to him, the Federal Government is transforming Nigeria’s youthful population into a demographic dividend by expanding access to quality education and equipping young people with the knowledge and skills required to thrive in an increasingly competitive global economy.
“We want to be the manpower supplier of the world. We need to produce competent, skilled and educated young Nigerians who will drive our economy, contribute to Africa’s growth and compete successfully across the world,” Dr. Alausa said.
The Minister pointed out that one of the administration’s major interventions has been the aggressive expansion of admissions into health-related programmes to address longstanding shortages of critical professionals.
He also disclosed that annual enrolment into nursing schools has increased from about 20,000 students before the current administration assumed office to approximately 50,000, while admissions into medicine, pharmacy and dentistry have also been significantly expanded.
Alausa expressed confidence that the reforms would, within the next few years, eliminate the shortage of healthcare professionals as thousands of newly trained graduates enter the workforce.
He attributed the progress to President Tinubu’s unwavering commitment to education, describing it as the bedrock of Nigeria’s economic transformation and a strategic pillar of the administration’s development agenda.
“As the President advances his vision of building a one trillion-dollar economy, education will remain at the centre of that transformation,” he stated.
