Tinubu says he drove taxi in US to fund university education

President Bola Tinubu has recalled how he worked as a taxi driver and took up different jobs in the United States to finance his university education.

Tinubu said the experience shaped his commitment to expanding access to education and ensuring that every Nigerian child has an opportunity to pursue their academic ambitions.

The President disclosed this in a post on his X handle on Wednesday while highlighting his administration’s achievements in the education sector.

He said he postponed starting school for several months after arriving in the United States to save enough money to finance his 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.

“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,” he said.

Tinubu added that his experiences had strengthened his belief that every Nigerian child deserved access to quality education, irrespective of their background or their parents’ financial circumstances.

Highlighting his administration’s interventions, the President said the Nigerian Education Loan Fund had disbursed over N372bn in student loans to cover institutional fees and upkeep.

NELFUND was established under the Students Loans (Access to Higher Education) Act, 2024, signed into law by Tinubu in April 2024, to provide interest-free financial assistance to eligible students in public tertiary institutions.

The scheme covers institutional charges and upkeep allowances, with approved fees paid directly to students’ institutions and maintenance allowances transferred to beneficiaries’ bank accounts.

The law also removed the previous family income threshold and guarantor requirement, allowing eligible students to access the loans without requiring their parents to meet a specified income level or provide guarantors.

Under the repayment arrangement, beneficiaries are expected to begin repaying their loans two years after completing the National Youth Service Corps programme. Repayment is tied to employment or income, with 10 per cent of an employed beneficiary’s monthly salary deducted at source.

Tinubu also said the government’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 university education, the President said his administration had reached a new agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities, providing for a 40 per cent increase in academic staff remuneration and measures to improve stability in the nation’s 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. Promise made, promise kept,” he said.

Tinubu further disclosed that his administration was investing N110bn in the rehabilitation of 24 medical schools to strengthen medical education.

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.

“Nigeria needs more doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals, and we must build the capacity to train them here at home,” he added.

The President also said over one million children who were previously out of school had returned to learning, while his administration was investing in teacher development and expanding educational opportunities for girls.

He added that a new national curriculum was being implemented to restore Nigerian History to classrooms.

Tinubu commended the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, the Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad, and other members of the education team for their contributions to the reforms.

He also announced the introduction of an interactive A–Z platform for the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative, which he said brings together reforms, programmes, achievements and opportunities across the education system.

The President urged Nigerians to visit edu4pbat.ng to explore the initiative and provide feedback on challenges affecting education in their communities.

He said the circumstances of a child’s birth should not determine the limits of their ambition, stressing that every Nigerian child deserved a fair opportunity to fulfil their potential.