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President Buhari Inaugurates Presidential Steering Committee On Alternate School Programme
Joel Ajayi
President Muhammadu Buhari has inaugurated an 18-member Presidential Steering Committee on Alternate School Programme ASP.
At the inauguration which took place at the Presidential Villa on Tuesday in Aso Villa, President Buhari charged the ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development to coordinate and lead the deployment of a National Plan which will address the issue of out-of-school children in the country.
In a press statement issued by the Senior Assistant to the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management & Social Development, Nneka Ikem Anibeze on Tuesday expressed that it was unacceptable to see children abandoning formal school to engage in menial jobs and child labour in the markets, streets and workshops.
“While we continue to sustain our efforts on providing formal and conventional education through the activities of the Universal Basic Education Commission under the Federal Ministry of Education, it is still a common sight to notice children abandoning formal school to become apprentices in shops, workshops and markets, whilst many others choose to loiter at markets, become cart pushers and hawkers. These are not acceptable.
President Buhari implored all members of the committee to take the assignment with utmost seriousness adding that “the future of our young people is at stake”.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Committee Umar Farouq thanked the President for his support to the Ministry and for granting the approval for the Alternate School Programme.
The minister noted that the number of Out-of -School children was increasing at an alarming rate, adding that there is urgent need to address the problem with deft response required of such an exigent matter.
“Education serves as a catalyst for the all-round growth and development of any individual. Thus, for any nation to thrive, adequate investment in human capital, by increasing access to quality education, must be prioritized. The United Nations identifies quality education as one of the most powerful and proven vehicles for attaining sustainable development”.
The Minister lamented the challenges facing the country due to the growing number of out of school children which cuts across the entire nation.
“Those mostly affected by this scourge include the girl-child, predominantly in the North, Almajiri-children in the North, children of nomadic pastoralists spread across the country, incidence of boy child drop-out mainly in the South-East and South-South regions, street children in the South-West, commonly referred to as area boys, particularly around the Lagos axis, children of migrant fishermen in the South-South, and more recently the internally displaced children in the North-East, occasioned by the Boko Haram insurgency and insecurity”.
Umar Farouq assured the President that the Committee will leverage on the Ministry’s social protection instruments including N-Power, the Conditional Cash Transfer and the Home-Grown School Feeding Programmes to provide tailored delivery mechanisms targeted at the country’s out of school children.
“By integrating basic education with religious education and vocational training, the Alternate School Programme will increase access to education without altering social norms and cultures. Consequently, every child, including those in the most peculiar of circumstances, will have access to learning opportunities”.
According to UNICEF, Nigeria currently has the highest number of out of school children globally, while it is estimated that approximately 10.5 million children aged 5 to 14 years are not in school. Statistics also show that only 61 per cent of children within the 6 to 11-year age bracket regularly attend primary school while the North has an abysmal net attendance rate of 35.6 per cent.
The Alternate School Programme, is an innovative and flexible approach to learning and skills development, ensuring that education is designed to specifically address the needs of the target beneficiaries and is delivered conveniently, without unnecessary encumbrances. By targeting out of school children, the program will ensure that more children are equipped with basic literacy skills, reasoning capabilities and technical and vocational expertise that will enable them to live fulfilled lives.
It is also expected to significantly reduce the number of out of school children in Nigeria, provide access to inclusive and equitable quality education, eliminate child labour, facilitate the effective integration of religious discipline and vocational training with basic education, provide opportunities for children to develop life supporting skills from vocational and entrepreneurship training to improve their chances of future success, improve the quality and outcome of basic education in the country and foster tolerance, unity, and integration of all children with diverse backgrounds into the larger society.
The Presidential Steering Committee has been mandated to Refine the vision of the initiative.
Ensure engagement and effective uptake of the ASP initiative across the country, Review and approve all work, implementation plan, expected deliverables, feedbacks and reports as proposed and
Undertake any other task that can enhance the effective delivery of the initiative by the Ministry.
Members include: Minister, Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development who will Chairman the committee.
Others members are; Minister of Education Co-Chairman; Minister of State of Education Member; Senior Special Assistant to the President on the Sustainable Development Goals – Member; Minister of State, Budget and National Planning – Member; Chairman, Northern Governors’ Forum – Member; Executive Secretary, Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC)-Member.
Also, the Director-General, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) – Member; National President, Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) – Member; Representative, United Nations’ Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Representative – Member; Representative, United Nations’ International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) – Member; Representative, Global Partnership for Education – Member; Chair, Private Sector Advisory Group (SDGs) – Member; Chair, Civil Society Coalition on Sustainable Development – Member; Chair, Senate Committee on Basic Education –Member; Chair, House Committee on Basic Education – Member; Hon. Dr. Shehu Balarabe Kakale – Member and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development Bashir Nura Alkali- Secretary included.
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NELFUND: The Renewed Hope Engine Propelling Nigeria’s Youth into Tomorrow
By Dayo Israel, National Youth Leader, APC
As the National Youth Leader of the All Progressives Congress, I have spent most of my tenure fighting for a Nigeria where every young person, regardless of their ward or local government, family income, or circumstance, can chase dreams without the chains of financial despair.
Today, that fight feels like victory, thanks to the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND). Launched as a cornerstone of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, this initiative isn’t just a policy tweak; it’s a revolution. And under the steady, visionary hand of Managing Director Akintunde Sawyerr, NELFUND has transformed from a bold promise into a roaring engine of opportunity, disbursing over ₦116 billion to more than 396,000 students and shattering barriers for over a million applicants.
Let’s be clear: NELFUND was always destined to be a game-changer. Signed into law by President Tinubu on April 3, 2024, it repealed the outdated 2023 Student Loan Act, replacing it with a modern, inclusive framework that covers tuition, upkeep allowances, and even vocational training—ensuring no Nigerian youth is left on the sidelines of progress.
But what elevates it from groundbreaking to generational? Leadership. Enter Akintunde Sawyerr, the diplomat-turned-executioner whose career reads like a blueprint for results-driven governance. From co-founding the Agricultural Fresh Produce Growers and Exporters Association of Nigeria (AFGEAN) in 2012—backed by icons like former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Dr. Akinwumi Adesina—to steering global logistics at DHL across 21 countries, Sawyerr brings a rare alchemy: strategic foresight fused with unyielding accountability.
As NELFUND’s pioneer MD, he’s turned a fledgling fund into a finely tuned machine, processing over 1 million applications since May 2024 and disbursing ₦116 billion—₦61.33 billion in institutional fees and ₦46.35 billion in upkeep—to students in 231 tertiary institutions nationwide. That’s not bureaucracy; that’s brilliance.
Sawyerr’s touch is everywhere in NELFUND’s ascent. Since the portal’s launch, he’s overseen a digital ecosystem that’s as transparent as it is efficient—seamless verification, BVN-linked tracking, and real-time dashboards that have quashed misinformation and built trust. In just 18 months, the fund has empowered 396,252 students with interest-free loans, many first-generation learners who might otherwise have dropped out.
Sensitization drives in places like Ekiti and Ogun have spiked applications — 12,000 in a single day in one instance, while expansions to vocational centers in Enugu pilot the next wave of skills-based funding. And amid challenges like data mismatches and fee hikes, Sawyerr’s team has iterated relentlessly: aligning disbursements with academic calendars, resuming backlogged upkeep payments for over 3,600 students, and even probing institutional compliance to safeguard every kobo. This isn’t management; it’s mastery—a man who doesn’t just lead but launches futures.
Yet, none of this happens in a vacuum. President Tinubu’s alliance with trailblazers like Sawyerr is the secret sauce securing Nigeria’s tomorrow. The President’s Renewed Hope Agenda isn’t rhetoric; it’s resources—₦100 billion seed capital channeled into a system that prioritizes equity over elitism. Together, they’ve forged a partnership where vision meets velocity: Tinubu’s bold repeal of barriers meets Sawyerr’s boots-on-the-ground execution, turning abstract policy into tangible triumphs. It’s a synergy that’s non-discriminatory by design—Christians, Muslims, every tribe and tongue united in access—fostering national cohesion through classrooms, not courtrooms.
As Sawyerr himself notes, this is “visionary leadership” in action, where the President’s political will ignites reforms that ripple across generations.
Why does this matter to us, Nigeria’s youth? Because NELFUND isn’t handing out handouts—it’s handing out horizons. In a country where 53% of us grapple with unemployment, these loans aren’t just funds; they’re fuel for innovation, entrepreneurship, and endurance.
Picture it: A first-generation polytechnic student in Maiduguri, once sidelined by fees, now graduates debt-free (repayments start two years post-NYSC, employer-deducted for ease) and launches a tech startup. Or a vocational trainee in Enugu, equipped with skills funding, revolutionizing local agriculture. This is quality education that endures—not fleeting certificates, but lifelong launchpads. Sawyerr’s focus on human-centered design ensures loans cover not just books, but bread—upkeep stipends of ₦20,000 monthly keeping hunger at bay so minds can soar. Under his watch, NELFUND has debunked doubts, refuted fraud claims, and delivered results that scream sustainability: Over ₦99.5 billion to 510,000 students by September, with 228 institutions on board.
As youth leaders, we see NELFUND for what it is: A covenant with our future. President Tinubu and MD Sawyerr aren’t just allies; they’re architects of an educated, empowered Nigeria—one where poverty’s grip loosens with every approved application, and innovation blooms from every funded desk. This isn’t charity; it’s an investment in the 70 million of us who will lead tomorrow.
We’ve crossed one million applications not because of luck, but leadership—a duo that’s turning “access denied” into “future unlocked.”
To President Tinubu: Thank you for daring to dream big and backing it with action.
To Akintunde Sawyerr: You’re the executor we needed, proving that one steady hand can steady a nation.
And to every Nigerian youth: Apply. Graduate. Conquer.
Because with NELFUND, your generation isn’t just surviving—it’s thriving, enduring, and eternal.
The Renewed Hope isn’t a slogan; it’s our story, now written in scholarships and success. Let’s keep turning the page.
Dayo Israel is the National Youth Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
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