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President Bola Tinubu recalls how he worked as a taxi driver and took up different jobs in the United States to finance his university education, saying his personal struggles have reinforced his commitment to ensuring that poverty does not prevent Nigerian children from accessing education.
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The President says the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has provided more than ₦372 billion in loans for students’ institutional fees and upkeep, while the government’s technical and vocational education programme has attracted over 2.8 million applications.
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Tinubu announces that a new agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) provides for a 40 percent increase in academic staff remuneration, alongside measures to ensure university stability and prevent unnecessary delays in students’ graduation.
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The administration has committed ₦110 billion to rehabilitating 24 medical schools, increased annual nursing enrolment from 28,000 to 115,000 and medical and dental enrolment from 5,000 to 12,000, while returning more than one million out-of-school children to classrooms.
November 4, (THEWILL) – 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, using his personal experience of financial hardship to defend his administration’s education reforms, including the provision of more than ₦372 billion in student loans.
The President said his experience of struggling to pay tuition fees, secure accommodation and meet other expenses while pursuing his education had shaped his belief that every Nigerian child should have access to educational opportunities, irrespective of family background or financial circumstances.
Tinubu disclosed this in a statement posted on his official X account on Wednesday, November 4, while highlighting the achievements and ongoing interventions of his administration in the education sector.
He recalled that when he first arrived in the United States as a young man, he drove a taxi to raise money for his education and had to postpone starting school for several months to save enough funds.
According to him, after eventually arriving in Chicago, he worked different jobs to support himself and pay his way through university.
“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.
The President said those experiences had remained with him and informed his conviction that access to education should not be determined by the financial circumstances of a child’s parents.
“I know what education made possible in my own life, and I believe every Nigerian child deserves that same opportunity, regardless of where they are born or what their parents can afford”, he added.
Tinubu identified education as a major priority of his administration’s Renewed Hope agenda, listing student financing, technical and vocational training, improved university funding, medical education and efforts to reduce the number of out-of-school children among the government’s interventions.
On student financing, he disclosed that the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) had provided more than ₦372 billion in loans to support students’ institutional fees and upkeep.
The scheme was established to ease the financial burden of tertiary education and enable students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds to pursue their academic programmes without being forced to abandon their studies because of funding constraints.
Tinubu also highlighted the administration’s technical and vocational education programme, which he said had attracted more than 2.8 million applications.
He disclosed that 38 technical colleges had been rehabilitated, while students in federal and selected state technical colleges were benefiting from free school fees, boarding, textbooks and uniforms.
The President said the interventions were designed to expand access to practical skills training and equip young Nigerians with the technical competencies required to participate in the economy.
On the university system, Tinubu announced that his administration had reached a new agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), providing for a 40 percent increase in academic staff remuneration and measures to improve stability in public universities.
He said the agreement was intended to strengthen the university system and address disruptions that have repeatedly affected students’ academic progression.
“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 said.
He described the agreement as part of his administration’s commitment to ensuring that students complete their academic programmes within the stipulated period without avoidable delays.
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In medical education, the President disclosed that the Federal Government was investing ₦110 billion in the rehabilitation of 24 medical schools across the country.
He said the investment was to strengthen medical training infrastructure and expand the country’s capacity to produce doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals.
Tinubu further revealed that annual nursing enrolment had increased from 28,000 to 115,000, while medical and dental enrolment had risen from 5,000 to 12,000.
According to him, Nigeria needs more healthcare professionals and must strengthen its institutions to train the required manpower locally.
The President also said his administration had returned more than one million children who were previously out of school to classrooms.
He listed teacher development, expanded educational opportunities for girls and the implementation of a new national curriculum among other priorities of the government.
The new curriculum, he said, restores Nigerian History to classrooms to enable children to understand the country’s past, appreciate their national identity and prepare to take responsibility for its future.
“Our children must know where we have come from, understand the country they belong to, and be prepared to take responsibility for its future”, he stated.
Tinubu commended the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, the Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad, and other members of the education team for their efforts in implementing the administration’s programmes.
He particularly acknowledged the development of an interactive A–Z guide to the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI), which brings together the reforms, programmes, achievements and opportunities across the country’s education system.
The President urged Nigerians to visit edu4pbat.ng to explore the platform and obtain information about available government education programmes.
He encouraged parents to identify opportunities available to their children, students to find out about programmes from which they could benefit, and teachers to explore the support initiatives provided by the government.
He also invited Nigerians to report challenges affecting the implementation of education programmes in their communities, saying public feedback would assist the government in identifying problems and addressing them.
Tinubu maintained that education remained central to his administration’s ambition of moving the country from reforms to opportunities and shared prosperity.
“Our journey from reform to opportunities and shared prosperity must begin with education”, he said.
He added that the circumstances of a child’s birth should never determine the limits of their ambition, stressing that government had a responsibility to provide every Nigerian child with a fair opportunity to fulfil their potential.
The President acknowledged that more work remained to be done in the sector but expressed determination to sustain the reforms and see them through.
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