The Federal Government spent ₦220bn sponsoring Nigerians for overseas training over 10 years, but 80 per cent of the beneficiaries did not return to the country after completing their programmes, the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, has said.
Alausa disclosed this on Thursday during the inauguration of the RHV–ROBOMED Robotic Academy at Redeemer’s Health Village, Redemption City, Ogun State.
He described the development as a major setback, saying the government had discontinued the foreign training sponsorship programme and redirected resources towards strengthening local institutions.
According to the minister, the decision was informed by the failure of the overseas training investment to deliver the expected benefits to Nigeria’s education system, as most beneficiaries remained abroad.
“I’ll tell you some bad statistics that happened before I got here. Over 10 years, TETFund invested ₦220bn in sending people abroad to go and train. And guess what? 80 per cent of those people did not come back to Nigeria,” he said.
Alausa added that the government decided to end the programme and focus on developing local capacity.
He said the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) had established 28 Centres of Excellence across 23 public and five private universities to provide specialised training within the country.
The newly inaugurated robotic surgery academy at Redeemer’s Health Village would become the 29th Centre of Excellence under the initiative, he added.
TETFund to fund eligible trainees
The minister said TETFund would provide financial support for eligible medical professionals undertaking specialist training at the robotic surgery academy.
“What we are going to do is that we will make this part of the TETFund-funded Centre of Excellence. Any student that is going to go will be completely funded by TETFund,” Alausa said.
He maintained that investing in local training facilities would enable more Nigerians to acquire specialised skills while reducing the country’s dependence on foreign institutions.
Alausa also disclosed that the Federal Government had invested more than ₦250bn in medical education infrastructure over the preceding two years.
He said the investment included the provision of simulation laboratories and the rehabilitation of facilities in more than 24 medical schools.
The minister commended Nigerian medical professionals in the diaspora who contributed to establishing the robotic surgery academy, urging others to support the transfer of specialised knowledge and expertise to the country.
Academy targets 400 specialists
Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer of Redeemer’s Health Village, Adedamola Dada, said the academy planned to train 400 specialists within two years.
Dada disclosed that the institution had acquired two robotic systems valued at approximately $4m, with one intended for surgical procedures and the other for training.
The programme would train surgeons, nurses, biomedical engineers and other healthcare professionals to support the expansion of robotic-assisted surgery in Nigeria.
He appealed to the Federal Government to provide scholarships for postgraduate medical trainees participating in the programme.
In response, Alausa assured the institution of government support, reiterating that strengthening domestic medical training capacity would provide more sustainable benefits than continued dependence on overseas programmes.
