President Bola Tinubu has recalled working as a taxi driver and taking different jobs in the United States to finance his university education.
The president said he postponed starting school for several months because he needed to save enough money to continue his education.
Tinubu shared the experience while highlighting his administration’s education reforms, including ₦372 billion in student loans and increased funding for medical schools.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has opened up about his struggles as a young man in the United States, revealing that he once worked as a taxi driver to raise money for his university education.
The president made the disclosure while highlighting his administration’s achievements in the education sector, including student loans, technical education reforms and investments in medical training.
Tinubu recalls struggling to fund education in US
Tinubu said his journey in the United States was not easy, as he had to work different jobs to support himself and pay his university expenses.
According to him, he initially postponed starting school for several months because he needed to save enough money.
After arriving in Chicago, he continued working to meet his educational and living expenses.
The president said those experiences shaped his belief that every Nigerian child should have access to quality education, regardless of their family background.
“I know what it means to worry about tuition, accommodation and how to make ends meet while pursuing an education.”
He added that his personal experience was one of the reasons education remained a major priority of his administration.
Tinubu lists education reforms, ₦372bn student loans
Highlighting his government’s interventions, Tinubu disclosed that the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) had provided more than ₦372 billion in loans to support students with institutional fees and upkeep.
He also revealed that the government’s technical and vocational education programme had received over 2.8 million applications, while 38 technical colleges had been rehabilitated.
According to the president, students in federal and selected state technical colleges now enjoy free school fees, boarding, textbooks and uniforms.
On university education, Tinubu announced a new agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), which provides for a 40 per cent increase in academic staff remuneration and measures to improve stability in the university system.
He maintained that Nigerian students deserved to complete their academic programmes without unnecessary delays.
“A four-year course must take four years,” he said.
Tinubu speaks on medical education, out-of-school children
The president further disclosed that his administration was investing ₦110 billion in the rehabilitation of 24 medical schools.
He said annual nursing enrolment had increased from 28,000 to 115,000, while medical and dental enrolment rose from 5,000 to 12,000.
Tinubu also claimed that over one million children who were previously out of school had returned to learning.
He added that his government was investing in teacher development, expanding educational opportunities for girls and introducing a national curriculum that brings Nigerian History back into classrooms.
The president commended Education Minister Dr Tunji Alausa, Minister of State for Education Professor Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad and other members of the education team.
He also encouraged Nigerians to visit edu4pbat.ng to explore the A–Z of the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI).
Tinubu urged parents, students and teachers to identify opportunities under the programmes and provide feedback on challenges affecting their communities.
Meanwhile, Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, has praised President Bola Tinubu’s administration for making progress through its economic reforms.
Sanusi said Nigeria’s inflation had dropped from 30% to 14.6%, while foreign reserves had risen to $55 billion.
Speaking at the Oxford Global Think Tank conference, the former CBN governor acknowledged the challenges of the reforms but urged Nigerians to recognise the government’s achievements. Continue reading here.
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