President Bola Tinubu has recounted how he financed his university education in the United States by working as a taxi driver and taking up various jobs to support himself.
The President disclosed that he spent several months saving money before commencing his studies after arriving in the US, as he struggled to raise funds for his education.
He made the revelation in a post on his X handle on Wednesday while giving an account of his administration’s interventions and achievements in the education sector.
Tinubu said his personal experience of having to work to pay school fees and cover living expenses had influenced his determination to make education accessible to Nigerian children, regardless of their backgrounds.
He stated, “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.”
Providing details of the government’s education interventions, Tinubu said the Nigerian Education Loan Fund had extended over N372bn in loans to students to assist with institutional fees and living costs.
He added that the technical and vocational education programme had recorded more than 2.8 million applications, while 38 technical colleges had been refurbished. Students in federal and some state-owned technical colleges, he said, now benefit from free tuition, boarding facilities, textbooks and uniforms.
The President also disclosed that his administration had reached an agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities, which provides for a 40 per cent increase in lecturers’ remuneration and measures to promote stability in public universities.
He said the arrangement was aimed at ensuring that students completed their academic programmes without unnecessary delays, insisting that a four-year degree programme should not extend beyond its stipulated duration.
Tinubu further announced that N110bn had been earmarked for the rehabilitation of 24 medical schools, while annual admission into nursing programmes had risen from 28,000 to 115,000. Enrolment for medical and dental courses, according to him, had also increased from 5,000 to 12,000.
He said the government had facilitated the return of more than one million children who were previously out of school, alongside efforts to improve teachers’ capacity and encourage more girls to pursue education.
The President also disclosed that a new national curriculum was being implemented to reintroduce Nigerian History into the school system, stressing that pupils must understand the nation’s past to prepare for their future roles.
Tinubu commended the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, the Minister of State for Education, Prof Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad, and other members of the education team for their contributions to the reforms.
He urged parents, students and teachers to visit edu4pbat.ng, an interactive platform created to provide information on education initiatives and receive feedback on challenges facing schools across the country.
Kehinde Ayanboade
Kehinde Ayanboade is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Naija Metro News, with over eight years of experience covering Nigerian politics, crime, legislative proceedings and metropolitan affairs.
