President Bola Tinubu has recounted how he worked as a taxi driver and took up other jobs in the United States to finance his university education, saying the experience shaped his commitment to expanding access to quality education in Nigeria.
Tinubu disclosed this in a post on his X handle on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, recalling that he postponed starting school for several months after arriving in the US to save enough money for tuition and other expenses.
According to the President, he eventually moved to Chicago, where he combined different jobs with his studies to 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.
Tinubu said his personal experience had reinforced his belief that no Nigerian child should be denied educational opportunities because of their family’s financial circumstances.
Highlighting his administration’s interventions in the sector, he disclosed that the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) had disbursed more than N372 billion in student loans, covering institutional fees and upkeep allowances.
He also said the Federal 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, Tinubu said his administration had reached an agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), providing for a 40 per cent increase in academic staff remuneration, alongside measures to promote stability in the university system.
He stressed that students should be able to complete their programmes within the stipulated period, declaring that a four-year course should not take longer than four years.
The President further disclosed that the Federal Government was investing N110 billion in the rehabilitation of 24 medical schools.
He said annual nursing enrolment had increased from 28,000 to 115,000, while admission into medical and dental programmes had risen from 5,000 to 12,000.
Tinubu also said more than one million children who were previously out of school had returned to classrooms, adding that his administration was investing in teacher development, expanding girls’ education and implementing a new national curriculum that restores Nigerian History to schools.
He commended the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, the Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad, and other officials for driving the reforms.
The President also unveiled an interactive A–Z platform for the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI), urging parents, students and teachers to explore available government programmes and opportunities through edu4pbat.ng.
He encouraged Nigerians to provide feedback on challenges affecting schools and educational institutions in their communities, saying such information would help the government identify gaps and improve service delivery.
“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,” Tinubu added.