Lagos State Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Mr Tolani Sule, has stated that his ministry did not renovate any public secondary school library, despite a budget performance document indicating that over N300 million was spent on such projects in 2025.
Contradiction in Budget Performance
During the 2026 ministerial press briefing marking the third year of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu's second term, Sule clarified that the Ministry of Tertiary Education had not carried out any library renovations. This contradicts the 2025 budget performance report, which claimed that 70 public secondary school libraries were rehabilitated across the state for N232.6 million. The same document also stated that another N100 million was spent on building retention and completion of 50 public secondary school libraries under phase I and phase II.
Proposed University of Medicine and Health Sciences
Sule disclosed that the state government, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, has advanced legislation to establish a new University of Medicine and Health Sciences. This initiative aims to address the widening healthcare manpower deficit in Lagos and Nigeria. The proposed institution is expected to significantly increase the training of doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals, helping to fill gaps caused by the persistent migration of medical practitioners abroad.
"Lagos requires far more healthcare professionals to match its rapidly growing population. The proposed university is a strategic response to bridge the gap and strengthen healthcare delivery," Sule said.
Uninterrupted Academic Calendars
The commissioner noted that Lagos State-owned tertiary institutions have maintained uninterrupted academic calendars for over a decade, describing this as evidence of the administration's commitment to stability and staff welfare.
International Collaborations
In a move to align education with global labour market realities, Sule highlighted expanded collaborations with international and private institutions. These include partnerships with the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology and PowerChina to strengthen technical and vocational education. According to him, these partnerships are expected to expose Lagos students to international best practices in engineering, renewable energy, vocational training, and applied technology.
Digital Empowerment Programmes
The state government has also intensified digital empowerment programmes through the Eko Digital initiative and Job Initiative Lagos. Thousands of students have received training in digital literacy, artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship, and emotional intelligence.
Rewarding Academic Excellence
As part of efforts to reward academic excellence, Sule said the Sanwo-Olu administration gifted Miss Isioma Sybil Nwosu N10 million as a reward for being the overall best graduating student of Lagos State University in the 2023/2024 academic session.
