Tinubu Unveils N45,000 Monthly Stipend to Attract Students to Technical Colleges

By Achimi muktar

In a bold and unexpected move, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration has unveiled a game-changing initiative that could completely transform technical education in Nigeria: a monthly stipend of N45,000 for students enrolled in technical colleges across the country.

The announcement, made by the Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Idris Bugaje, in Abuja, is part of a broader plan to breathe new life into Nigeria’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector.

Bugaje, speaking during a briefing on the administration’s second year in office, said the initiative aims to reverse decades of decline in vocational education and restore its former prestige.

“With this, young people will find it more attractive to come to a technical college, acquire skills qualification, get jobs locally and even beyond the borders of Nigeria,” Bugaje declared.

But the stipend is just the beginning. The government’s package includes free tuition, payment of industry-based supervisors (known as "master class" instructors), and full financing of skills certification. It's a comprehensive financial lifeline for a sector long neglected and overshadowed by traditional university education.

The numbers tell the story: Nigeria currently has just 129 technical colleges compared to over 15,000 senior secondary schools—a stark imbalance that has crippled the country’s technical capacity for decades.

Bugaje believes Tinubu’s intervention signals what he calls the “rebirth or resurrection of TVET.” The plan includes a staggering N120 billion grant to be disbursed through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND)—and it’s not a loan.

“The N45,000 is not a loan, but a grant. Students who enjoy this are not going to pay back,” Bugaje emphasized. “We want to encourage more people to enroll in technical education.”

To ensure long-term sustainability, the Ministry of Education is also spearheading a legislative effort to establish a National Skills Fund under a new Nigerian Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF). The bill, once passed, would guarantee continued funding for TVET institutions across both public and private sectors.

The move is already being hailed as one of Tinubu’s most ambitious educational reforms yet—one that could reshape the future of work, skill acquisition, and youth empowerment in Nigeria.
Please
If you’ve ever doubted the value of technical education in Nigeria, this just might be the wake-up call.