Minister of Education Tunji Alausa
Minister of Education, Dr. Mauruf Tunji Alausa has disclosed that Nigeria Education Data Initiative (NEDI) is a strategic project aimed at transforming the nation’s education system through the establishment of a comprehensive Nigerian Education Databank.
Speaking on Thursday in Abuja, during the NEDI National Stakeholders meeting, with the theme: “ _Transforming Education Through Data_ ” the Minister noted that the initiative seeks to develop accurate, reliable, and accessible data for improved policy planning, resource allocation, and real-time monitoring of progress in the education sector.
“As we look at our data, about 80 per cent of development financing investments in the last 10 years went to two geopolitical zones in the country”.
According to him, those two zones still have the lowest literacy and numeracy rates in the country and so, it is like wasted investment due to inaccurate data.
Alausa therefore said, the newly introduced NEDI platform would address such disparities by providing a unified database to guide investment decisions, policy formulation and monitoring of education outcomes nationwide.
He highlighted that accurate data would enable the identification of gaps in the education system.
“NEDI is a proactive, data driven initiative that will reposition the education sector. We should give credit to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is a visionary leader.
Speaking on the National Learner Identity Number (NLIN) which is a key aspect of NEDI, the Minister stated that the initiative will helped in solving issues related to learning and track the education of Nigerian children.
“The National Learner Identity Number will help us track the children in our education system. We will know which child is in which school and where. For instance, if a child leaves Enugu at Primary 1 and the family relocates to Lagos or Kano, we’ll use the NLIN to track the child and know the progress of his education. It will guard against jumping classes.
“The NLIN will eliminate ‘miracle centres’, though ‘miracle centres’ are going into extinction because of our policies. The ‘miracle centres’ are being eliminated..So, NLIN helps us track the progress of a child from school enrollment to employment. We’ll know their course of study in school and then prepare them for employment after graduation.
“We’re also incorporating entrepreneurship skills in their education so that they can learn and become ready for contributing their quota to national development. This is why data is important to us. This is why NEDI has come to stay. We have to know who are these our school children and where they are, so we’re grateful to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for supporting the education of Nigerian children.”
On her part, the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajia Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, said education remains one of the strongest foundations for national development, family wellbeing, and social progress.
She said: “The NEDI initiative reflects a strong commitment to building a modern and evidence-based education system capable of supporting inclusive learning and better outcomes for Nigerian children and young people.
“For the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, this initiative is particularly important because reliable educational data will strengthen our work in child protection, family development, girls’ education, social inclusion, and support for vulnerable groups. Accurate data enables Government to identify gaps, target interventions more effectively, improve coordination across institutions, and ensure that vulnerable children are not left behind.
“The Ministry also recognises that education is closely linked to the welfare and empowerment of women and families. Studies continue to show that educating girls improves family health, increases economic opportunities, reduces vulnerability, and contributes to national stability and development. This is why investments in education must remain a national priority.
“The need for stronger educational data systems has become even more urgent given the realities of out-of-school children, inequality, and limited access to quality education in some communities. Integrated and reliable data will support better policy decisions, equitable resource allocation, improved monitoring, and stronger social protection responses for children and families across the country.
“The NEDI initiative also aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, particularly within the Human Capital Development and Social Investment priorities being advanced through the Renewed Hope Social Impact Interventions of the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development. By improving access to credible educational information, this initiative will strengthen transparency, accountability, and effective service delivery.
“We therefore see this Workshop not merely as a technical exercise, but as an important platform for collaboration towards building a more inclusive, responsive, and people-centred education system for Nigeria. When children are properly counted, supported, protected, and educated, nations are better positioned for peace, productivity, and prosperity.”
The Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo in his remark, said that data will help solve all the identifiable problems in the education sector, saying the Ministry of Interior used data to reduce the number of inmates.
“People fail in life if they fail to ask the right questions. Data is important. If you understand a problem and have the data to solve them, then the problem is over. With data, the Ministry of Education has solved the problems in the education sector, especially the issue of our of school children.
“Data helped us to reduce residualism in the Correctional Services from 13,000 to avoid 1,200 from 2023 when we same into office. We want it to be zero. From our data, we learned that many people in custody only came because of free food. If not for data, we wouldn’t have known many things.
The Federal Ministry of Education is very important to the country as education is important for everything. It is the foundation for a new Nigeria, so NEDI should be supported,” he said.
