I Drove Taxi To Fund My Education In US, Tinubu Speaks On Reason For NELFUND

President Bola Tinubu has shared one of his experiences in the United States, on how he worked as a taxi driver to fund his education in the country, as one of the major reasons for the creation of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).

In a post on his X handle on Wednesday, Tinubu noted that his personal experiences shaped his commitment to expanding educational opportunities for Nigerian children.

The president said he understood the difficulties of paying tuition and accommodation while pursuing an education, adding that every Nigerian child deserved equal opportunities regardless of their background or their parents’ financial circumstances.

According to Tinubu, he had to postpone starting school for several months to save enough money before eventually moving to Chicago, where he worked different jobs 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,” he said.

“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.”

Tinubu noted that education remained a major priority of his administration, saying that NELFUND had provided over N372 billion in student loans for institutional fees and upkeep.

He also disclosed that students in federal and selected state technical colleges now benefit from free school fees, boarding, textbooks and uniforms.

Tinubu noted that the government’s technical and vocational education programme had attracted more than 2.8 million applications, while 38 technical colleges had been rehabilitated.

The President noted that his administration had reached a new agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), providing for a 40 per cent increase in academic staff remuneration and measures to improve stability in the country’s universities.

He added that the government was committed to ensuring that students completed their courses within the stipulated period.

“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.

Tinubu added that over one million children who were previously out of school had returned to learning, while his administration was investing in teacher development, expanding educational opportunities for girls and implementing a new national curriculum that restores Nigerian history to classrooms.

He further noted the Federal Government was investing N110 billion in the rehabilitation of 24 medical schools, while annual nursing enrolment had increased from 28,000 to 115,000.

The President said enrolment in medical and dental programmes had also risen from 5,000 to 12,000, noting that Nigeria needed to strengthen its capacity to train more healthcare professionals locally.

He urged Nigerians to explore the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative through an interactive A–Z platform developed by the education ministry, saying it would provide information on government programmes and opportunities available to parents, students and teachers.

Tinubu also called on Nigerians to report challenges affecting education in their communities, saying feedback would help the government identify and address gaps in the sector.

Tinubu commended the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, the Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad, and the entire education team for their efforts in implementing the administration’s reforms.

He added, “Our journey from reform to opportunities and shared prosperity must begin with education.

“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”.