By Kayode Olopade
The Lagos State Ministry of Tertiary Education has unveiled sweeping reforms and strategic interventions aimed at repositioning the state as the leading hub for higher education, innovation and workforce development in West Africa.
At the 2026 Ministerial Press Briefing held at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre, Alausa, the Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Tolani Sule, said the administration of Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu had recorded major milestones in infrastructure development, digital innovation, research advancement, scholarship expansion and institutional stability across state-owned tertiary institutions.
Sule said the government’s sustained investment in tertiary education was designed to produce globally competitive graduates while addressing critical manpower shortages in healthcare, technology and public service.
According to him, the state has prioritised expansion of access to higher education through the establishment of new institutions, construction of hostels and lecture theatres, upgrade of laboratories, digitisation of learning systems and improved welfare for academic and non-academic staff.
He disclosed that the state government, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, had advanced legislation for the establishment of a new University of Medicine and Health Sciences to address the widening healthcare manpower deficit in Lagos and Nigeria.
The commissioner said the proposed institution would significantly increase the training of doctors, nurses and allied health professionals while helping to reduce the persistent migration of medical practitioners abroad.
“Lagos requires far more healthcare professionals to match its rapidly growing population. The proposed university is a strategic response to bridge the gap and strengthen healthcare delivery,” he said.
The ministry also highlighted efforts to maintain industrial harmony within tertiary institutions, noting that the government successfully resolved the recent industrial action by unions at Lagos State University through dialogue and stakeholder engagement.
Sule noted that Lagos tertiary institutions had maintained uninterrupted academic calendars for over a decade, describing the feat as evidence of the administration’s commitment to stability and staff welfare.
In a move to align education with global labour market realities, the ministry announced expanded collaborations with international and private institutions, including partnerships with the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology and PowerChina to strengthen technical and vocational education.
The partnerships are expected to expose Lagos students to international best practices in engineering, renewable energy, vocational training and applied technology.
The state government also intensified digital empowerment programmes through the Eko Digital initiative and Job Initiative Lagos, where thousands of students received training in digital literacy, artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship and emotional intelligence.
As part of efforts to reward academic excellence, the government presented a N10 million award to Miss Isioma Sybil Nwosu, the overall best graduating student of Lagos State University for the 2023/2024 academic session.
The briefing further showcased achievements across Lagos tertiary institutions.
At Lagos State University, the institution emerged as the most subscribed university in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination and retained its ranking as the best university in Sub-Saharan Africa according to the Greenmetrics global ranking.
The university also recorded major infrastructure projects, including the Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu Library Complex, an 800-seat lecture hall and sanitation projects across campuses.
Similarly, Lagos State University of Science and Technology unveiled several TetFund-backed projects, including lecture theatres, hostels, research laboratories and a central auditorium.
A student of the institution, Oniyinde Jesutofunmi, won the national edition of the Red Bull Basement Nigeria competition with an innovation that monitors livestock health using Internet of Things technology and will represent Nigeria in the United States.
The Lagos State University of Education also recorded significant academic and technological milestones, including winning the Nigeria Internet Registration Association’s Best University Website Award and hosting innovation-driven tech fairs and security summits.
At the Lagos State University College of Medicine, the government approved expansion projects at Yaba and Gbagada to decongest existing facilities and increase student intake capacity.
The college also strengthened international collaborations with institutions in the United States, United Kingdom and Malaysia while expanding digital learning infrastructure and transport facilities.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State College of Nursing and Lagos State College of Health Technology recorded major improvements in hostel accommodation, ICT infrastructure, entrepreneurship training and healthcare education.
The Lagos State Scholarship Board disclosed that it disbursed over N504 million in bursaries and scholarships to 4,394 beneficiaries within the review period.
The board also introduced a Special Scholarship for Inclusion targeted at persons with disabilities and vulnerable residents.
In the area of adult literacy and non-formal education, the Lagos State Agency for Mass Education increased stipends for facilitators, expanded vocational training centres and strengthened literacy programmes across the state.
The Lagos State Library Board equally reported increased readership, expansion of solar-powered libraries and reading advocacy programmes for public secondary schools.
Sule reaffirmed the government’s determination to transform Lagos tertiary institutions into centres of global excellence capable of driving economic growth, innovation and sustainable development.
“We are committed to building institutions that can compete globally while producing graduates equipped to solve local and international challenges,” he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment