By Omoyeni Ojeifo
The Federal Government is tightening admission and accreditation controls to protect students from enrolling in unapproved academic programmes.
Education Minister Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa gave the assurance in Abuja during a familiarization visit from the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and other student bodies.
The intervention responds directly to concerns raised by NANS regarding illegal admissions, unaccredited courses, and funding shortfalls impacting the Federal Scholarship Awards.
Alausa said the Ministry was giving attention to the concerns raised by student leaders, particularly the need to protect students from institutions offering programmes without the required approval or capacity.
“The Ministry is working to resolve the funding challenges affecting the Federal Scholarship Awards, strengthen admission processes and undertake a comprehensive review of the accreditation system to ensure that students are not admitted into unapproved programmes or left stranded after years of study.”
The Minister said the government was also implementing interventions aimed at improving student financing, accommodation, skills development, campus infrastructure and access to tertiary education.
Alausa identified the Nigerian Education Loan Fund as one of the administration’s landmark interventions.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent directives on additional funding sources would further strengthen NELFUND’s sustainability, assuring students that the monthly upkeep allowance would continue.
“More than N200 billion had been committed to expanding student accommodation, while over N150 billion had gone into Technical and Vocational Education (TVET)and Training infrastructure,” the minister said.
He stressed that the Student Venture Capital Grant was helping students turn innovative ideas into businesses and become job creators, adding that government was considering an increase in the grant ceiling in the next phase.
Alausa also noted that renewable energy projects were being expanded across federal tertiary institutions to provide reliable power for laboratories, workshops, libraries and hostels, while additional campus tricycles would be deployed to ease transportation challenges.
He added that sustained engagement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities was helping to maintain academic stability and advance President Tinubu’s commitment that a four-year programme should take four years.
The Minister seized the opportunity to urge NANS and other student leaders to mobilise 10 million student votes for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 election, saying continuity of the administration’s education reforms was critical to sustaining the gains recorded in education.
He said Nigerian students had a direct stake in the 2027 election because policies being implemented today would shape their education, skills, employment prospects and opportunities for the future.
The Minister assured the students that the Ministry would maintain an open channel of engagement with their leadership and continue to act on issues affecting their education and welfare.
Earlier in his remarks, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Student Engagement, Sunday Asefon, said the visit was aimed at strengthening direct engagement between the Presidency, the Ministry of Education and the organised student community.
He commended NANS and other student leaders for their advocacy on student welfare, saying their partnership with government was essential to identifying challenges and finding practical solutions across tertiary institutions.
On his part, Comrade Babatunde Afeez Akinteye, the President of NANS, lauded President Tinubu and the Minister for interventions including NELFUND and TVET, noting that the student loan scheme had made a significant difference in the lives of beneficiaries.
Akinteye stated that the monthly upkeep support had become an important source of relief for students facing financial difficulties and urged government to sustain the initiative.
He also raised concerns over Federal Scholarship Awards, illegal admissions and accreditation challenges affecting students in some institutions, calling for stronger regulatory action to protect students.
Akinteye emphasized that student leaders were ready to collaborate with government to address the challenges affecting students across tertiary institutions.
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