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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has recalled how he worked as a taxi driver and took up various jobs to finance his university education in the United States, stating that his personal struggles have shaped his administration’s drive to expand educational opportunities for Nigerian children.
In a statement published on his official X account on Wednesday, President Tinubu disclosed that he was forced to delay starting his academic program for several months to accumulate enough savings before eventually relocating to Chicago to pursue his degree.
“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,” President Tinubu wrote.
“When I eventually got to Chicago, I worked different jobs to support myself and pay my way through university. I know what it means to worry about tuition, accommodation and how to make ends meet while pursuing an education.”
Reflecting on these personal challenges, the President stressed that every Nigerian child deserves equal access to quality education, regardless of their family’s financial status or background.
He reaffirmed that education remains a core pillar of his administration’s agenda, highlighting the impact of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), which has disbursed over ₦372 billion in student loans for tuition and upkeep allowances.
President Tinubu also revealed that the federal government’s technical and vocational education initiatives have recorded over 2.8 million applications, alongside the successful rehabilitation of 38 technical colleges nationwide.
He noted that students enrolled in federal and selected state technical institutions now enjoy free tuition, boarding, textbooks, and school uniforms.
Addressing tertiary education stability, the President announced that his administration recently finalized a new agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), approving a 40 percent pay rise for academic personnel to curb persistent industrial actions.
He emphasized that the government is fully committed to eliminating academic calendar disruptions in public universities.
“A four-year course must take four years. Our young people deserve to complete their education on time and get on with their lives,” he stated.
In the health education sector, President Tinubu outlined a ₦110 billion investment targeted at upgrading 24 medical schools across the country.
Consequently, annual nursing training intake has expanded from 28,000 to 115,000, while medical and dental admissions have risen from 5,000 to 12,000 to strengthen domestic healthcare capacity.
The President further reported that over one million out-of-school children have been successfully reintegrated into the formal learning system, backed by ongoing investments in teacher training, girl-child education, and the rollout of a revised national curriculum that reintroduces Nigerian history.
He commended Minister of Education Dr. Tunji Alausa, Minister of State for Education Prof. Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad, and the broader education team for driving the ongoing structural reforms.
Urging public engagement, President Tinubu encouraged citizens to explore the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative via an interactive A–Z digital platform launched by the Ministry of Education to access available academic opportunities and welfare grants.
He also called on community members to report local educational challenges to help the government identify and resolve sector-specific gaps promptly.
“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. We have more work to do, and I am determined to see it through,” the President concluded.
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