Minister says fewer Nigerians are going abroad to study.

Education Minister Tunji Alausa rejected claims of a large‑scale departure of Nigerian students to overseas universities, stating that the trend has markedly reversed since his administration took office.

He made the comment on Tuesday in an interview with Channels Television, noting that investments in academic continuity and institutional quality have rendered Nigerian universities far more appealing to prospective students.

The interviewer referenced 2023 data showing Nigeria ranked third worldwide in outbound student mobility, representing roughly five percent of global student movement, trailing only China and India.

Alausa dismissed those figures as outdated and not reflective of present circumstances.

“That’s not Japa. And please, qualify your data. Thank God you told me it was 2023 figure,” he said.

He noted that 2023 coincided with a period of severe disruption in Nigeria’s education system, characterized by prolonged academic shutdowns and underinvestment in tertiary institutions.

He added that conditions have since changed substantially.

“2023 was when we came in. There was no academic continuity. They had the kind of extensive investment you’ve made in a tertiary education that wasn’t there,” he said.

Alausa said the ministry’s educational support services department has been monitoring outbound student movement and has observed a sharp decline in the number of students leaving to study abroad.

“We’ve seen precipitous drop in those number of student going out. Our tertiary institutions are better now. We have academic continuity, academic session continuity,” he said.

He cited the Joint Universities Preliminary Examinations Board (JUPEB), Nigeria’s counterpart to the British A‑levels, as evidence of increasing confidence in domestic alternatives.

He explained that the programme, once pursued abroad by students seeking entry to foreign universities, is now being taken locally and is oversubscribed.

Alausa referenced the University of Lagos law school and other leading institutions as additional examples of programmes rejecting applicants because of excess demand.

“Kids are staying there. The quality of education is