By Felix Khanoba
The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, has set a target of 10 million votes from Nigeria’s education sector for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
Alausa also pledged to personally lead efforts to mobilise students, teachers, lecturers, education administrators and other stakeholders across the country in support of the President’s re-election bid.
The Minister made the commitment at the inaugural meeting of the APC Presidential Campaign Committee Education Sector Mobilisation Working Group, where he urged members to take the mobilisation campaign beyond schools and institutions to communities nationwide.
According to a statement issued on Tuesday by his Special Adviser on Media, Ikharo Attah, Alausa said the extensive reach of the education sector provided a strong platform for building widespread electoral support for Tinubu.
“Nigeria needs continuity. This country, this President, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has changed the fortunes of Nigeria. It is in our interest, and in the interest of the present and future generations, that we elect him to continue the transformative agenda he has embarked upon in the last three years,” Alausa said.
He argued that continuity was necessary to ensure that ongoing reforms in the education sector and the wider economy were sustained and fully implemented.
According to him, a second term for Tinubu would provide the administration with the opportunity to consolidate its achievements, deepen reforms, strengthen the economy, attract investment and expand opportunities for Nigerians.
Alausa further maintained that the education sector had an important role to play in supporting policies aimed at improving human capital development and driving sustainable national economic growth.
He therefore directed members of the Working Group to mobilise their respective constituencies and develop broad-based support for the President ahead of the 2027 election.
The Working Group is chaired by Alausa, while the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Said Ahmad, serves as Deputy Chairman and the Executive Secretary of the Almajiri and Out-of-School Commission, Dr. Muhammad Sani Idris, is the Secretary.
Other members include Comr. Sunday Asefon, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Student Engagement; Mr. Adedeji John Demola, Special Adviser to the Minister of Education on Political Engagement; Mr. Adebayo Onigbanjo, National Coordinator, Special Programmes, Special Programmes Operations and Implementation Unit; and Dr. Ronke Soyombo, Registrar, Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria.
Also on the committee are Prof. Muhammad Dahiru Shuni, Executive Secretary, National Mass Education Commission; Prof. Salisu Shehu, Executive Secretary, Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council; Dr. Abiola Arogundade, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technical and Vocational Education and Training; Dr. Princess Adebowale, National Programme Manager, Home Grown School Feeding; Dare Ojepe, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Education and Youth Engagement; and Yetunde Adeniji, Senior Special Assistant to the President on School Feeding.
To ensure wider coordination, the committee has created sub-groups covering universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, teachers, governing councils, Senior Special Assistants on Education, TVET, counsellors and other critical stakeholder groups.
Presidential appointees within the education sector are also expected to work with the core committee and the various sub-groups to coordinate mobilisation activities across the country.
Alausa said the objective was to convert the extensive nationwide presence of the education sector into a coordinated electoral mobilisation capable of producing a significant vote bloc for Tinubu.
“If we work hard, we should be able to mobilise 10 million votes from the education sector alone for Mr. President,” he said.
The Minister urged members of the Working Group to demonstrate commitment, teamwork and sustained engagement, noting that achieving the 10-million-vote target would require the collective efforts of stakeholders across the sector.
Alausa also reaffirmed his commitment to Tinubu’s re-election, saying he would personally drive the education sector’s campaign effort and work with established structures to pursue the 10-million-vote target.
He said the broader goal was to sustain the reform process, consolidate economic and institutional gains and promote a Nigeria where continued reforms would translate into stronger human capital, greater economic opportunities and improved prospects for citizens.
