Minister of Education Tunji Alausa has said education reform will be central to President Bola Tinubu’s goal of building a trillion dollar Nigerian economy by 2030, saying the government aims to position Nigeria as a global supplier of skilled manpower.

In an interview, Alausa said the country needs to produce competent, educated young Nigerians capable of driving economic growth and competing globally, highlighting that annual admissions into nursing schools have risen from about 20,000 to 50,000, alongside expanded admissions into medicine, pharmacy and dentistry aimed at addressing the shortage of healthcare professionals. He said the Nigerian Education Loan Fund was designed with a sustainable model to support students across generations, in line with the president’s directive that major reforms must outlast the current administration.

On industrial relations, Alausa credited the president’s leadership for restoring stability in tertiary institutions, noting that government paid half of withheld salaries owed to university unions and approved a nearly 40 percent salary increase for staff, improvements he said are reflected in Nigerian universities’ rising positions in global rankings, including growth in the number of Nigerian institutions featured in the Times Higher Education rankings from 21 to 24.