The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, has reaffirmed the education sector’s target of mobilising 10 million votes for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, following the launch of the President’s campaign in Kaduna State.
Alausa, who chairs the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council’s Education Mobilisation Working Group, said the turnout at the Kaduna event had energised the group to intensify its nationwide engagement with stakeholders across the education sector.
In a statement on Sunday, the minister said the mobilisation drive would cover universities, polytechnics, monotechnics, colleges of education and other educational institutions across the country.
He also highlighted ongoing reforms under the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI), the Federal Ministry of Education’s six pillar programme aimed at expanding access to education, improving learning outcomes and developing a skills driven, knowledge based economy.
Alausa identified the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programme as a key component of the initiative, noting that it provides tuition free vocational training, monthly stipends and pathways to employment and entrepreneurship.
According to the Ministry’s official NESRI portal, the TVET programme has received more than 1.3 million applications, matched 160,000 young Nigerians with training opportunities and disbursed approximately ₦13.98 billion to training centres and trainees, with payments ongoing.
Other interventions under NESRI include the Nigerian Education Data Infrastructure (NEDI), designed to strengthen education data management; the EduRevamp teacher development platform, which has registered more than 51,500 teachers; increased investment in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medical Sciences (STEMM); and targeted interventions for out of school children and girls’ education.
“These initiatives are opening new opportunities for young Nigerians, strengthening teaching and learning, and positioning education as a driver of skills, innovation and national development,” Alausa said.
He added that the Kaduna campaign launch had provided fresh momentum for the mobilisation group to expand its nationwide engagements and communicate the impact of the administration’s education reforms to stakeholders.
The minister reaffirmed the Federal Ministry of Education’s commitment to implementing NESRI in collaboration with education stakeholders, with a focus on improving access, skills development, learning outcomes and education quality nationwide.
