President Bola Tinubu has recounted how he worked as a taxi driver and took up several jobs in the United States to finance his university education.
He said the financial struggles shaped his understanding of the difficulties faced by students seeking access to education.
The President said he had to postpone starting school for several months after arriving in the US because he needed to save enough money to pay for his education.
Tinubu disclosed this in a personally signed statement on Wednesday while outlining his administration’s education reforms.
He also explained how his personal experiences influenced his commitment to expanding educational opportunities in Nigeria.
He said his financial difficulties did not end after he eventually moved to Chicago, where he combined different jobs with his university studies to meet his educational and living expenses.
“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 the experience had remained with him and has reinforced his conviction that a child’s financial background should not determine the educational opportunities available to them.
“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 said.
Tinubu, who studied accounting at Chicago State University, said his administration had made education a major priority.
He cited the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) as one of its interventions to ease the financial burden on students.
He disclosed that the fund had provided more than N372 billion in loans to cover institutional fees and students’ upkeep.
The President 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, Tinubu said his administration signed an agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in January.
He said action provided for a 40 per cent increase in academic staff remuneration and measures to promote stability in the university system.
He stressed the need to address prolonged academic programmes caused by disruptions in the university calendar.
“A four-year course must take four years. Our young people deserve to complete their education on time and get on with their lives,” he said.
In the health sector, Tinubu disclosed that about N110 billion had been invested in rehabilitating 24 medical schools, while annual nursing enrolment had increased from 28,000 to 115,000.
He added that admission into medical and dental programmes had also 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 said.
Tinubu signed the amended law on April 3, 2024, establishing NELFUND as the body responsible for administering interest-free loans to eligible Nigerian students for tuition, institutional charges and upkeep.
The legislation replaced the initial 2023 student loan law following amendments to its provisions on eligibility, administration and repayment.
The President’s account of his university struggles came a day after Alausa described him as a genius, saying he graduated with a first-class degree in accounting from Chicago State University.
