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The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has disclosed that the Federal Government will conduct a comprehensive nationwide household survey to establish a more accurate figure for Nigeria’s out-of-school children, acknowledging that existing estimates no longer reflect the current reality.

Speaking on Wednesday at the 2026 Annual Education Summit of the Education Correspondents Association of Nigeria in Abuja, Alausa said the Federal Ministry of Education was partnering with the National Bureau of Statistics to generate reliable data that would guide policy decisions and interventions in the sector.

The minister admitted that the widely cited estimates of out-of-school children required updating, stressing that the government was committed to replacing assumptions with credible, evidence-based statistics.

According to him, the nationwide household survey would provide a clearer picture of the magnitude and distribution of the challenge, enabling the government to design more targeted interventions to improve access to education.

Dr Alausa noted that although the government had succeeded in returning more than one million out-of-school children to classrooms over the past two years, obtaining accurate data remained critical to measuring progress and addressing the problem effectively.

Estimates put the country’s out-of-school children at between 15 million and about 20 million.

Alausa said President Bola Tinubu’s administration was committed to evidence-based policymaking, stressing that access to accurate data should empower both the media and citizens to demand greater accountability from public officeholders.

The minister said journalists must move beyond routine event coverage to investigative reporting that highlights gaps in the education sector and tracks government performance using verifiable evidence.

According to him, quality journalism backed by credible data would not only strengthen accountability but also improve education outcomes across the country.

Alausa also highlighted reforms being implemented under the Renewed Hope Agenda, including Technical and Vocational Education and Training, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, digital transformation, quality assurance, improved education governance and expanding access to education.

He noted that Nigeria had recorded three consecutive years without disruption of academic activities in universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, attributing the achievement to sustained engagement with tertiary institution unions.

The minister also disclosed that Nigeria now has 24 universities ranked among the world’s top 1,000 institutions, compared with 21 previously, with public universities occupying the country’s top four positions.

The summit, themed “Three Years of the Tinubu Administration: Assessing Reforms, Progress and Challenges in Nigeria’s Education Sector,” brought together policymakers, education stakeholders and journalists to evaluate reforms and challenges in the education sector.

Also speaking, the Minister of State for Education, Prof Suwaiba Ahmad, urged journalists to support education reforms through balanced and responsible reporting.

“Education is the foundation upon which we build a productive economy, strengthen democratic institutions, reduce poverty and promote social cohesion,” she said.

The Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission, Dr Aisha Garba, reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to ensuring that every Nigerian child has access to quality basic education regardless of background or location.

“The most important objective is that no child should be left behind. Regardless of background, location or income level, every child must have access to quality education,” she said.

Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, FCT Council, Grace Ike, called on the media to intensify efforts towards promoting accountability and public awareness in the education sector.

She stressed that government, parents, school administrators, policymakers and journalists must work together to address challenges affecting the sector.

The Special Adviser to the Minister of Education on Media and Communication, Ikharo Attah, also advocated evidence-based journalism, saying credible reporting must be guided by facts rather than assumptions.

Earlier, ECAN Chairman, Chuks Ukwauta, said the summit was organised to examine the achievements, reforms and challenges recorded in Nigeria’s education sector under the Tinubu administration.

Nigeria has one of the highest numbers of out-of-school children in the world, making the issue a major national development challenge.

Despite years of government interventions, millions of children remain outside the formal education system due to poverty, insecurity, cultural barriers, inadequate school infrastructure, child labour, early marriage, displacement caused by conflict, and weak access to quality education, particularly in rural and underserved communities.

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In a renewed effort to combat crime and enhance public safety in Delta State, the State Commissioner of Police, CP Yemi Oyeniyi, has directed all patrol and guard officers, vigilante groups, forest guards and other recognised civil security outfits in the state to intensify intelligence gathering and sustain security patrols across forests, rural communities and critical access routes.

The directive was issued on Wednesday during a strategic security meeting held at the Delta State Police Command headquarters, Asaba, attended by patrol and guard officers from all police divisions across the state.

The State Police Command directive comes amid sustained efforts by security agencies to curb kidnapping, cultism and other violent crimes in the state through enhanced community policing and intelligence-driven operations.

Addressing participants at the meeting, CP Oyeniyi emphasised the need for heightened surveillance of roads, waterways, railway corridors and bush paths, noting that criminal elements often exploit such locations to perpetrate kidnapping, armed robbery and other forms of criminality.

The Police Commissioner commended vigilante groups and other community-based security outfits for their contributions to maintaining peace and security across Delta State.

However, he stressed that their operations must be conducted strictly within the confines of the law and in close coordination with the Nigeria Police Force.

According to him, all activities of local security outfits should be streamlined under the supervision of the respective Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) to ensure accountability and effective implementation of community policing strategies.

CP Oyeniyi noted that sustainable security can only be achieved through strong collaboration between the police and community security stakeholders, backed by continuous intelligence sharing and coordinated patrol operations.

He also issued a stern warning against acts of unlawful detention, torture, dehumanising treatment of suspects and the use of vigilante groups to settle personal grievances or political scores.

The Commissioner directed that all persons apprehended by local security outfits must be immediately handed over to the nearest police station for proper investigation and prosecution in accordance with the law.

Furthermore, he charged leaders of vigilante and forest guard groups to instil discipline among their members, identify and remove criminal elements within their ranks, and desist from shielding individuals involved in illegal activities.

Reaffirming the command’s commitment to strengthening grassroots security architecture, CP Oyeniyi assured stakeholders that the police would continue to collaborate with genuine security partners within the framework of the law.

He added that similar strategic engagements would be replicated across the various local government areas of Delta State to improve coordination, intelligence gathering and collective efforts aimed at tackling insecurity and safeguarding lives and property.

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The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has intensified pressure on the Federal Government over the death of Mary Habila, a physiotherapist who was found dead in the Ebonyi residence of David Umahi, Minister of Works.

The party demanded an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding her reported death at the residence of the Minister.

The opposition party also urged Umahi to step aside to allow an independent panel probe the case.

It argued that such a move is necessary to guarantee public confidence in the outcome of the probe.

ADC made the demands in a statement issued on Wednesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi.

The party maintained that the death of a citizen inside the residence of a serving cabinet minister is a matter of public interest that requires full transparency and accountability.

It said questions surrounding Habila’s presence at the minister’s residence and the events leading to her death remain unanswered.

According to the party, only an inquiry conducted outside the influence of the Executive can establish the facts and restore public confidence.

“We therefore call for an independent investigation that is completely removed from the control or influence of the Executive.

“This inquiry must include a full autopsy to determine the exact cause of Ms Habila’s death and a public report of its findings,” the statement said.

The ADC argued that anything short of an independent probe would only fuel public suspicion and weaken trust in state institutions.

It further alleged that the Tinubu administration has repeatedly failed to subject senior government officials facing serious allegations to independent scrutiny.

The party accused the administration of shielding political appointees whenever controversies emerge.

It said the pattern had created “scandal insurance” for top government officials.

“The Tinubu administration appears more eager to defend reputations than to establish facts and submit to accountability,” Abdullahi said.

The opposition party described the incident as one that goes beyond politics, insisting that the death of a young woman in the residence of a serving minister demands exceptional openness.

It therefore insisted that Umahi should vacate office temporarily until an independent investigation is concluded.

“The least that should be expected is that the Minister, namely Senator David Umahi, should immediately step aside from office pending the conclusion of an independent investigation,” the statement added.

The ADC warned that failure by President Bola Tinubu to insist on accountability would reinforce public perception that his administration protects senior officials from scrutiny.

It said Nigerians deserve the truth about the circumstances surrounding Habila’s death, while her family deserves justice.

The party also extended condolences to Habila’s family, urging the authorities to ensure that the investigation is transparent and its findings made public.

Mary Habila’s death sparked nationwide attention after reports emerged that the young physiotherapist died under unclear circumstances at the Ebonyi residence of the Minister

The Ebonyi State Police Command subsequently transferred the case to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), while the cause of death remains unknown.

Umahi has denied any wrongdoing, insisting there was no attempt to conceal the incident.

He said Habila was among medical personnel attached to the Federal Ministry of Works and disclosed that he advised her family to approve an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

The incident has since attracted calls for an independent investigation from opposition parties and civil society groups.