The Honourable Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, has declared that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has delivered on almost 100 per cent of his 2023 campaign promises.
According to him, Nigeria is experiencing tangible change and is “back, and back in a powerful way.”
The Minister spoke on Sunday, August 9, 2026, in Abuja while receiving the outcomes of the 2025 Nigeria 2050: Child Foresight Analysis for Futures Literacy and Intergenerational Equity from the Office of the Vice President, implemented with technical support from UNICEF.
The changes under President Tinubu, he noted, were not just rhetoric but reflected in real reforms and outcomes, particularly in education.
“I can assure you of that one fact because today we have a President who is leading the country, managing this country from the front, with the highest level of integrity, commitment, patriotism and determination to change the face of this country,” he stated in a statement by Attah Ikharo, Special Adviser on Media and Communications.
Three years into the administration, he said that Nigeria has moved beyond uncertainty and is now focused on consolidating gains.
“The country is not at a crossroads again. We have a lot of catching up to do,” Alausa said.
The Minister linked the President’s commitment to education to the Renewed Hope Agenda, noting that education is central to the ambition of moving Nigeria toward a $1 trillion economy.
Under the Nigerian Education Sector Renewal Initiative, NESRI, he said priority is being placed on:
TVET and STEM education – “Skills are the present and the future.” He said the renewed emphasis on technical education is creating new pathways for entrepreneurship and employment.
Medical education expansion – to address shortages and reduce “Japa” migration by increasing training capacity in teaching hospitals, FMCs and specialist hospitals.
Reducing out-of-school children – More than 1 million children have been moved from the streets into school nationally in the last 2.5 years. Jigawa alone moved over 180,000 in 2 years.
The Minister stressed the need for accurate data, questioning the long-standing 15-17 million estimate of out-of-school children.
He cited Kaduna, where a household survey covering over 90% of households put the figure at less than 190,000, against earlier estimates of 585,000 and 1.2 million, stressing that Jigawa also recorded similar gaps.
“Without data, you’re flying blind. Data will tell you everything,” he said.
He noted progress in the 2026 Annual School Census via the digitised NEMIS: 56% of public schools and 41% of private schools have entered data.
According to him, a national assessment on literacy, numeracy and cognitive development has also been done to establish a baseline.
“Even if there’s significant reduction, any child out of school is still too many,” he added.
On the Child Foresight report, Alausa said with 70% of Nigeria’s 220 million population under 30, the country must convert its youth bulge into a demographic dividend through quality education, skills and long-term planning.
He commended the Office of the Vice President, OSPRE and UNICEF, saying the initiative helps move Nigeria “from reactive governance towards anticipatory action.”
The Ministry will align the findings with NESRI on future literacy, skills, data systems and intergenerational equity.
“Nigeria has changed, and it has changed for good,” the Minister concluded.