President Bola Tinubu invoked his early years in the United States, when he drove a taxi and postponed hai University education to save money for several months before continuing later.
The President made a strong case for a sweeping expansion of the nation’s education programme and student financing.
“When I first arrived in the United States as a young man, I drove a taxi to earn money for my education,” Tinubu wrote on his officials Xhandle (formerly Twitter).
The President said “I even had to postpone starting school for several months to save enough.”
President Tinubu explained that after reaching Chicago, he held several jobs to support himself and pay his 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.
“Those experiences have stayed with me.”
Tinubu described his administration’s education agenda as an effort to ensure that a child’s economic circumstances do not determine his or her future.
“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.
Education, he added, remains “a major priority” of his Renewed Hope administration.
President Tinubu’s remarks come as the government promotes the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI), a six-point policy framework covering vocational training, science and technology education, out-of-school children, girls’ education, digitalization and quality assurance.
NewsQuest reports that at the center of the President’s announcement was the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, known as NELFUND.
President Tinubu said the programme has provided more than N372billion in loans for institutional fees and student upkeep.
“Through NELFUND, we have provided over N372billion in student loans for institutional fees and upkeep, helping young Nigerians remain in school and pursue their education,” he said.
The fund was created under the Students Loans (Access to Higher Education) Act, which Mr. Tinubu signed in 2024 to provide financial assistance to eligible students at public tertiary institutions.
President Tinubu also pointed to the government’s technical and vocational education push, saying it had drawn more than 2.8 million applications.
He said 38 technical colleges had been rehabilitated and that students in federal and selected state technical colleges now receive free school fees, boarding, textbooks and uniforms.
Tinubu said his administration had reached a new agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities, providing for a 40% increase in academic staff pay and measures intended to improve stability in the university system.
“A four-year course must take four years,” he said.
“Our young people deserve to complete their education on time and get on with their lives. Promise made, Promise Kept.”
The agreement is intended to address recurring disruptions in Nigeria’s public universities, where strikes have repeatedly extended students’ time in school.
The President also announced a N110billion investment to rehabilitate 24 medical schools. He said annual nursing enrollment had risen from 28,000 to 115,000, while medical and dental enrollment had increased 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,” Tinubu said.
President Tinubu said more than one million children who had previously been out of school had returned to learning.
He said the government was investing in teacher development, expanding opportunities for girls and implementing a curriculum that restores Nigerian History to classrooms.
“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 said.
The President praised Education Minister Tunji Alausa, Minister of State Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad and the education ministry for developing an interactive A-to-Z guide to NESRI.
He urged parents, students and teachers to visit edu4pbat.ng to review available programs and submit feedback.
“If something is not working as it should in your community, I want to hear about it,” Mr. Tinubu said. “Your feedback will help us identify problems and address them.”
“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,” Tinubu added.
