The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council has said the education reforms introduced by President Bola Tinubu’s administration have resulted in the disbursement of N372.62bn in student loans and the training of 156,446 beneficiaries under the Technical and Vocational Education and Training programme.
The council, in a statement by its spokesperson and Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake, on Wednesday, said the reforms had also improved access to basic education, strengthened teachers’ welfare and stabilised the academic calendar in tertiary institutions across the country.
As the January 16, 2027, presidential election approaches, the achievements of President Bola Tinubu’s administration in over three years in office have come under intense criticism from opposition parties.
While some opposition figures have faulted the administration’s education reforms, others have dismissed its reported achievements, questioning their actual impact on Nigerians.
Reacting, APC PCC said the administration introduced free technical education covering tuition, boarding, textbooks and uniforms as part of efforts to strengthen vocational skills and expand employment opportunities.
The statement read, “President Bola Tinubu’s reforms in the education sector since assuming office have expanded access to learning, improved teachers’ welfare and stabilised the academic calendar across higher institutions in the country.
“According to the Federal Ministry of Education’s 2026 report on the Nigerian Education Sector Renewal Initiative, the government’s interventions cover basic and secondary education, technical and vocational training, and tertiary education.
“The reforms focus on six priority areas: technical and vocational education, science and medical sciences, out-of-school children, girl-child education, digitalisation and education quality assurance.
“According to the NESRI report, the Federal Government allocated a record ₦3.52tn to education in the 2026 budget and secured $552m for the HOPE-EDU programme, which targets 29 million children, over 500,000 teachers and 65,000 public schools.”
The APC PCC stated that the BESDA programme had brought more than one million out-of-school children back into classrooms, trained 1,400 Tsangaya teachers and established 200 bilingual centres in 17 northern states.
It added that the AGILE programme had reached 7.19 million girls, including 3.7 million enrolled in secondary schools, while over 10,000 schools had received facility upgrades.
Alake explained that the President Tinubu administration introduced a revised national curriculum to reintroduce Nigerian History and strengthen Civic and Heritage Studies, adding that the National Learning Assessment had also been restored to monitor pupils’ performance and identify learning gaps.
The statement added, “Under EduRevamp, 53,553 teachers have registered, while 51,794 joined the first cohort of the Accelerated Teacher Professionalisation Pathway (ATPP), a six-month programme offering professional qualifications, certification and licensing.
“Backed by ₦2bn, the programme targets 250,000 teachers by 2027. Also, the Inspire Live initiative provides online lessons from Primary One to Senior Secondary School Three, supported by certified teachers and AI-assisted learning.
“Under President Tinubu’s administration, the TVET scheme has attracted over 2.8 million applications, with 156,446 verified trainees receiving free training, monthly stipends and start-up support.
“More than ₦65.7bn has already been disbursed to trainees, while another ₦30.2bn has gone to training centres. The government has also rehabilitated 38 technical colleges and introduced free technical education covering tuition, boarding, textbooks and uniforms.”
The APC PCC spokesperson said the Federal Government was investing N110bn in the rehabilitation of 18 federal medical schools across the six geopolitical zones.
He added that nursing enrolment increased from 81,480 in 2023 to 114,300 in 2025, while 20 STEM-focused tertiary institutions had been approved and 12 engineering and technology faculties earmarked for rehabilitation.
The APC PCC added that ,”NELFUND, a flagship programme of the Tinubu administration in the education sector, has processed 1,659,853 student loan applications and disbursed ₦372.62bn, comprising ₦192.89bn for tuition and ₦179.73bn for upkeep allowances across 319 tertiary institutions.
“The administration has resolved the age-long dispute between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and implemented the agreement providing for a 40 per cent increase in academic staff remuneration and improved welfare benefits.
“Additionally, the Tertiary Institutions Staff Support Fund has disbursed ₦28bn to 15,000 workers across 153 public institutions, offering eligible staff loans of up to ₦10m for housing, healthcare, transportation and education.
“Equally, the Federal Government has provided ₦365m annually for research and innovation through the National Laureate Prize, while the Student Venture Capital Grant has disbursed over ₦2.5bn to 45 student entrepreneurs. Each beneficiary can access up to ₦50m in equity-free funding.”
The Campaign Council also disclosed that entrepreneurship certification was ongoing in 14 federal universities, while the Diaspora BRIDGE initiative had registered 1,141 Nigerian professionals abroad, reaching 16,675 students in 107 tertiary institutions.
