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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu has revealed that he worked as a taxi driver and took up several other jobs in the United States to finance his university education, saying his personal struggles as a student shaped his administration’s commitment to expanding access to education in Nigeria.
Tinubu, who disclosed this in a post on his verified X handle, @officialABAT, said he had to postpone starting school for several months after arriving in the United States to save enough money for his education.
The President stated that his experience of struggling to pay tuition, accommodation and other living expenses while studying in Chicago had remained with him and influenced his determination to ensure that no Nigerian child is denied educational opportunities because of their family’s financial circumstances.
“When I first arrived in the United States as a young man, I drove a taxi to earn money for my education. I even had to postpone starting school for several months to save enough.
“When I eventually got to Chicago, I worked different jobs to support myself and pay my way through university,” he said.
Tinubu said education remained a major priority of his administration, citing the provision of over N372 billion in student loans through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) to cover institutional fees and students’ upkeep.
He also disclosed that the administration’s technical and vocational education programme had attracted over 2.8 million applications, while 38 technical colleges had been rehabilitated.
According to him, students in federal and selected state technical colleges now enjoy free tuition, boarding, textbooks and uniforms.
On efforts to address disruptions in the university system, the President said his administration had reached a new agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), providing for a 40 per cent increase in academic staff remuneration and measures to improve stability in the nation’s universities.
He declared that his administration was determined to end prolonged academic disruptions, insisting that a four-year degree programme should be completed within four years.
“A four-year course must take four years. Our young people deserve to complete their education on time and get on with their lives. Promise made, Promise Kept,” he said.
Tinubu further disclosed that the Federal Government was investing N110 billion in the rehabilitation of 24 medical schools to strengthen the country’s capacity to train healthcare professionals.
He said annual nursing enrolment had increased from 28,000 to 115,000, while medical and dental enrolment had risen from 5,000 to 12,000.
The President also said more than one million children who were previously out of school had returned to learning, alongside investments in teacher development, expanded educational opportunities for girls and the introduction of a new national curriculum that restores Nigerian History to classrooms.
He explained that the restoration of Nigerian History was aimed at helping children understand the country’s past, appreciate their national identity and prepare to take responsibility for its future.
Tinubu commended the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, Minister of State for Education, Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad, and the entire education team for their contributions to the reforms.
He particularly highlighted the development of an interactive A–Z of the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI), which he said brings together the reforms, programmes, achievements and opportunities in the education sector.
The President urged Nigerians to visit edu4pbat.ng to explore the initiative and identify educational opportunities available to parents, students and teachers.
He also encouraged citizens to report challenges affecting education in their communities, saying their feedback would help the government identify and address gaps.
“Our journey from reform to opportunities and shared prosperity must begin with education.
“The circumstances of a child’s birth should never determine the limits of their ambition. Our responsibility is to give every Nigerian child a fair chance to fulfil their potential,” he said.
The President, however, acknowledged that more work remained to be done, pledging to sustain the administration’s education reforms.
