The Federal Government has convened a landmark stakeholders meeting to launch the Nigeria Education Data Infrastructure, a centralised education data platform aimed at ending decades of fragmented planning and aligning learning outcomes with actual labour market demand across Nigeria's 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

Minister of Education Dr Maruf Alausa disclosed on Thursday at a national stakeholders meeting in Abuja, where he also criticised the misallocation of billions of naira in education funding due to poor data use, revealing that 80% of development bank financing over the past decade had been directed at two geopolitical zones that simultaneously record the country's lowest literacy and numeracy rates.

"It is like a wasted investment," Alausa stated, adding that he had raised the concern directly with the World Bank country director. "I said, 'We are throwing billions into zones as though we are achieving something. What are you looking at? Don't you look at the outcomes?"

He confirmed that the World Bank had since moved toward result based and outcome based funding in response to such concerns.

The NEDI platform, which is cloud based and will be enhanced with artificial intelligence, draws data from JAMB, WAEC, NECO, the Universal Basic Education Commission, and the Nigerian Education Loan Fund into a single national system. A National Learner Identity Number linked to the National Identity Number will track each student from enrolment through to employment, addressing examination malpractice and identity fraud.

"We don't just want to train students; we want to guide them based on labour gap needs across the country," Alausa noted. "We are working with the National Bureau of Statistics to understand what jobs are needed in each area so students can make informed career choices."

The platform currently captures 32 million students and 220,000 schools across 21 states. NEDI Coordinator Dr Abubakar Isah described it as the first time Nigeria has established a reliable, unified source of education data for planning and accountability.

The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman Ibrahim, also addressed the workshop, stressing that educational data goes beyond statistics. "Beyond statistics and numerical records, educational data represents human realities, developmental priorities, and the aspirations of millions of Nigerian families seeking opportunity, dignity, inclusion, and a better future for their children," she remarked.

Sulaiman Ibrahim expressed concern over the rising number of out of school children in Nigeria, noting that recent estimates place the figure at 10 million. She described the NEDI initiative as aligned with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda. She affirmed that it would ensure "no child is left unseen, underserved, or excluded from opportunity."

UNICEF Nigeria Chief of Education, Vanessa Lee, urged stronger cross sector collaboration, affirming that reliable data was essential for improving learning outcomes nationwide. The government says the platform will guide budgeting, infrastructure development, and teacher deployment going forward.