The Federal Government has expanded annual admissions into nursing schools from approximately 20,000 to 50,000 students as part of an aggressive push to address Nigeria's shortage of healthcare professionals, Minister of Education Dr. Tunji Alausa has said.

Alausa disclosed this during an interview with journalists in Abuja on Sunday, noting that admissions into medicine, pharmacy and dentistry had also been significantly increased. He expressed confidence that the reforms would substantially reduce healthcare workforce shortages within the next few years as thousands of newly trained graduates enter the system.

The minister said the expansion forms part of broader education reforms aimed at producing the skilled workforce required to drive President Bola Tinubu's vision of building a $1tn economy.

"We want to be the manpower supplier of the world. We need to produce competent, skilled and educated young Nigerians who will drive our economy, contribute to Africa's growth and compete successfully across the world. As the President advances his vision of building a one trillion dollar economy, education will remain at the centre of that transformation," Alausa stated.

On the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, the minister assured Nigerians that the scheme had been structured on a sustainable financing model designed to support generations of students beyond the lifespan of the present administration.

"There is no value in introducing policies that cannot stand the test of time. Sustainability is central to this administration's philosophy, and that principle guided the design of NELFUND," he said.

Alausa also credited President Tinubu's approach to dialogue for restoring industrial harmony in tertiary institutions, noting that the administration fulfilled its commitment to pay 50% of withheld salaries inherited from previous disputes within months of assuming office. He added that a salary increase of nearly 40% was also approved for workers in tertiary institutions as part of efforts to improve staff welfare.