Tinubu traces Nigeria’s progress from two tertiary institutions to 693 across 65 years
President Bola Tinubu highlighted Nigeria‘s educational transformation over 65 years of independence, noting that secondary schools have increased from 120 institutions serving 130,000 students at independence to more than 23,000 schools as of 2024.
In his Independence Day address, the president traced the country’s tertiary education growth from just two institutions—the University of Ibadan and Yaba College of Technology—to 693 institutions by the end of 2024, comprising 274 universities, 183 polytechnics, and 236 colleges of education across federal, state, and private ownership.
“Nigerians today have access to better education and healthcare than in 1960,” Tinubu stated, while acknowledging that “we may not have achieved all the lofty dreams of our forebearers.”
The president noted that Nigeria has “experienced a significant surge in growth across every sector of our national life since Independence—in healthcare, infrastructure, financial services, manufacturing, telecommunications, information technology, aviation and defence, among others.”
However, Tinubu emphasized that infrastructure deficits remain, stating: “We do not have enough electricity to power our industries and homes today, or the resources to repair our deteriorating roads, build seaports, railroads, and international airports comparable to the best in the world, because we failed to make the necessary investments decades ago.”
The president pledged that his administration is “setting things right” by making long-delayed infrastructure investments in roads, electricity, broadband, schools, and hospitals needed for current and future generations.
Read his full Independence Day address here
