The Leaders Who Run Nigeria's Education Systems
World Teachers' Day series: The Leaders Who Run Nigeria's Education Systems
Happy Teachers' Day from all of us at Nkuzify.
Recognised by Nkuzify as Leading Teachers and Educators of the Year.
Behind every classroom there is a system, and behind every system are people who sit in rooms most of us never see and make decisions that affect our classrooms. On this World Teachers' Day, Nkuzify looks beyond the chalkboard to the leaders at the top of Nigeria's education systems, at the federal level and in the states.
Federal: Dr Tunji Alausa, Minister of Education
Some ministers arrive with a teaching background. Dr Tunji Alausa arrived from the hospital ward. He is a medical doctor who specialises in kidney care, and he was born on 18 April 1965. He first served as Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, and on 23 October 2024 he was redeployed to the Federal Ministry of Education, replacing Tahir Mamman.
Read the full story: Dr Tunji Alausa: Nigeria's Minister Of Education
Kwara State: Dr Lawal Olohungbebe, Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development
Dr Lawal Olalekan Olohungbebe came to the cabinet from the university and from community work. He worked at Kwara State University, where he coordinated the Centre for Community Development, and he served as Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Community Development. Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq swore him in as Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development in March 2025, and Kwara State University noted that he was the first serving staff member of the university to hold that post in the state.
Read the full story: Dr Lawal Olohungbebe: Kwara State's Commissioner For Education
Lagos State: Mr Jamiu Alli-Balogun, Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education
Mr Jamiu Tolani Alli-Balogun was sworn in on 13 September 2023 by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. He is firm where firmness is needed. In January 2025 the News Agency of Nigeria reported him saying that the era of mass promotion in Lagos schools was over, that students who do not qualify for the next class must repeat, and that any teacher caught selling marks would be dismissed. He has also raised concern about weak WASSCE results, noting that Lagos pays the exam registration fees for all SS3 students in state schools.
Ebonyi State: Dr Donatus Ilang, Commissioner for Primary and Secondary Education
Dr Donatus Chukwuma Ilang was one of the commissioners sworn in by Governor Francis Nwifuru in June 2023, first to lead Border Peace and Conflict Resolution. In the July 2025 reshuffle he swapped places with Professor Paul Awo Nwobasi, which put him in charge of Primary and Secondary Education. When the governor reshuffled the cabinet again on 29 June 2026, coverage of the exercise still listed Dr Ilang as the Commissioner for Primary and Secondary Education.
Ebonyi's first SAN: Professor Amari Omaka
When the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee announced the new Senior Advocates of Nigeria in July 2016, one name on the list made history in Ebonyi State. Professor Amari Omaka became the first Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) from the state. Today he is the Commissioner for Tertiary Education in Ebonyi, and his story shows what can happen when a teacher keeps climbing until he is helping to run the system that trains other teachers.
Read the full story: Professor Amari Omaka, SAN: Ebonyi State's Commissioner For Tertiary Education
Leaders matter, but classrooms are won by teachers. Read on to meet them.
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