By Eshioromeh Sebastian
President Bola Tinubu has revealed that he worked as a taxi driver in the United States to sponsor his education, saying the experience shaped his resolve to expand educational opportunities for Nigerian children.
In a post on his X handle on Wednesday, the President recounted how he delayed starting school for several months to save enough money before travelling to Chicago, where he took up various jobs to fund his university education.
“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,” Tinubu said.
“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.”
The President said every Nigerian child deserves equal opportunities regardless of background or parental financial circumstances, stressing that education remains a top priority of his administration.
Tinubu disclosed that over N372 billion had been provided through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) for institutional fees and upkeep, while the government’s technical and vocational education programme had attracted more than 2.8 million applications.
He said 38 technical colleges had been rehabilitated, with students in federal and selected state technical colleges now enjoying free school fees, boarding, textbooks and uniforms.
On university education, 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 universities.
He added that the government was committed to ensuring students completed their courses within the stipulated period, declaring: “A four-year course must take four years. Our young people deserve to complete their education on time and get on with their lives.”
Tinubu further said the Federal Government was investing N110 billion in the rehabilitation of 24 medical schools, while annual nursing enrolment had risen from 28,000 to 115,000 and enrolment in medical and dental programmes from 5,000 to 12,000.
He noted that over one million children previously out of school had returned to learning, with the administration investing in teacher development, expanding opportunities for girls and implementing a new national curriculum that restores Nigerian history to classrooms.
The President commended the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, the Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad, and the entire education team for their efforts in implementing the reforms.
He urged Nigerians to explore the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative through an interactive A–Z platform developed by the education ministry, and called on citizens to report challenges affecting education in their communities.
“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,” he added.
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