Tinubu: I Drove Taxi, Did Different Odd Jobs to Survive at the University in America

• Returns to Abuja after Umrah •Tasks Nigerians to tell him about things not working well in their areas, promises to fix identified problems • Insists nation’s journey from reform to shared prosperity must begin with education, justifies introduction of NELFUND •APC lists Tinubu’s education milestone, highlights $552 million for basic education, technical colleges’ expansion • Recalls FG budgeted record N3.52 trillion for education in 2026 Deji Elumoye and Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja President Bola Tinubu, yesterday, reminisced on his student days in the United States, and recalled how he drove taxi and did different odd jobs to pay his bills while his university education lasted. In a post on X, @OfficialPBAT, Tinubu also challenged Nigerians to give him feedback about things that were not working properly in their areas, pledging to fix identified problems. The president departed King Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday for Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, after the successful completion of his Umrah (Lesser Hajj) in the Holy city of Makkah. In the post on X, he justified the introduction of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) through which over N372 billion had been disbursed as students’ loans to young Nigerians, and spoke extensively about his student days He told Nigerians, “If something is not working as it should in your community, I want to hear about it. Your feedback will help us identify problems and address them.” Focussing on his economic reforms, Tinubu said Nigeria’s journey from reform to shared prosperity must begin with education. In the lengthy post on why no Nigerian should be denied education due to lack of fund, Tinubu stated, “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. “Those experiences have stayed with me. 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. “This is one reason education remains a major priority of our Renewed Hope administration. Through NELFUND, we have provided over N372 billion in student loans for institutional fees and upkeep, helping young Nigerians remain in school and pursue their education.” Tinubu also stated, “Our technical and vocational education programme has attracted over 2.8 million applications. We have rehabilitated 38 technical colleges, while students in federal and selected state technical colleges now benefit from free school fees, boarding, textbooks, and uniforms.” He announced, “We have reached a new agreement with ASUU, providing for a 40 per cent increase in academic staff remuneration and measures to improve stability in our universities. “A four-year course must take four years. Our young people deserve to complete their education on time and get on with their lives. Promise made, Promise Kept!” Tinubu said, “In medical education, we are investing N110 billion in rehabilitating 24 medical schools. Annual nursing enrolment has increased from 28,000 to 115,000, while medical and dental enrolment has 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 also spoke to the out-of-school children issue, saying, “Over one million children who were previously out of school have been returned to learning. We are investing in teacher development, expanding educational opportunities for girls, and implementing a new national curriculum that restores Nigerian History to our 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. “I commend the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa @DrTunjiAlausa, Minister of State, Professor Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad @Suwaiba_Said, and the entire education team @NigEducation for their dedication to this important work. “I am particularly pleased that the team has developed an interactive A–Z of the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI), bringing together the reforms, programmes, achievements and opportunities across our education system.” The president said, “I invite every Nigerian to visit edu4pbat.ng and explore the A–Z of NESRI. If you are a parent, find out what opportunities are available for your children. If you are a student, explore the programmes you can benefit from. If you are a teacher, see what support is available. “And if something is not working as it should in your community, I want to hear about it. Your feedback will help us identify problems and address them. 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.” Further rolling out his scorecard in the education sector in the last three and a half years, the president said his government had expanded access to learning, improved teachers’ welfare, and stabilised the academic calendar across higher institutions in the country. Spokesperson of All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council (APC-PCC), Dele Aleke, who disclosed the president’s record in a release, stated that the government’s interventions covered basic and secondary education, technical and vocational training, and tertiary education. Alake, who quoted from the 2026 Nigerian Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI) report of the Federal Ministry of Education, explained that the reforms focused on six priority areas, namely technical and vocational education, science and medical sciences, out-of-school children, girl-child education, digitalisation, and education quality assurance. According to the NESRI report, the federal government allocated a record N3.52 trillion to education in the 2026 budget and secured $552 million for the HOPE-EDU programme, which targets 29 million children, over 500,000 teachers, and 65,000 public schools. The report said the BESDA programme had returned over one million out-of-school children to learning, trained 1,400 Tsangaya teachers, and established 200 bilingual centres across 17 northern states. It added that the AGILE programme had reached 7.19 million girls, with 3.7 million enrolled in secondary schools, while over 10,000 schools had benefited from improved facilities. The NESRI index indicated that the administration had introduced a revised national curriculum that reintroduced Nigerian History and strengthened Civic and Heritage Studies. The National Learning Assessment, for instance, had been restored to monitor pupils’ performance and identify learning gaps. Under EduRevamp, 53,553 teachers had registered, while 51,794 joined the first cohort of the Accelerated Teacher Professionalisation Pathway (ATPP), a six-month programme offering professional qualifications, certification and licensing. Backed by N2 billion, the programme targets 250,000 teachers by 2027. Also, the Inspire Live initiative provides online lessons from Primary One to Senior Secondary School Three, supported by certified teachers and AI-assisted learning. Under Tinubu’s government, the statement stated, the TVET scheme had attracted over 2.8 million applications, with 156,446 verified trainees receiving free training, monthly stipends and start-up support. The statement said, “More than N65.7 billion have already been disbursed to trainees, while another sum of N30.2 billion has gone to training centres. The government has also rehabilitated 38 technical colleges and introduced free technical education covering tuition, boarding, textbooks, and uniforms. “Also, NELFUND, a flagship programme of the Tinubu administration in the education sector, has processed 1,659,853 student loan applications and disbursed N372.62 billion, comprising N192.89 billion for tuition and N179.73 billion for upkeep allowances across 319 tertiary institutions.” The administration, according to the report, has resolved the age-long dispute between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and government, and implemented the agreement that provided for 40 per cent increase in academic staff remuneration and improved welfare benefits. Additionally, the Tertiary Institutions Staff Support Fund has disbursed N28 billion to 15,000 workers across 153 public institutions, offering eligible staff loans of up to N10 million for housing, healthcare, transportation and education. The report added that the federal government was investing N110 billion in the rehabilitation of 18 federal medical schools across the six geopolitical zones. Nursing enrolment rose from 81,480 in 2023 to 114,300 in 2025, while 20 STEM-focused tertiary institutions had been approved and 12 engineering and technology faculties were targeted for rehabilitation. The federal government also provided N365 million annually for research and innovation through the National Laureate Prize, while the Student Venture Capital Grant disbursed over N2.5 billion to 45 student entrepreneurs, the report said. It added that each beneficiary could access up to N50 million in equity-free funding. It said entrepreneurship certification was currently ongoing in 14 federal universities, while the Diaspora BRIDGE initiative had registered 1,141 Nigerian experts abroad, reaching 16,675 students across 107 tertiary institutions. Still on the achievements recorded so far in the education sector, Alake, who is also Minister of Solid Minerals Development, quoted Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, as saying the success of Tinubu-led education reforms would be measured by their impact on students, teachers, and institutions, rather than the amount of money allocated or the number of programmes introduced. Alausa stated, “Our measure of success is not merely the amount of money allocated to education or the number of programmes introduced. It is the difference these interventions make in the lives of our children, students, teachers and institutions.” Meanwhile, Tinubu departed Jeddah for Abuja on Wednesday after the successful completion of his Umrah, lesser Hajj, in the Holy city of Makkah. The president’s plane, according to a release by presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, took off at the Royal Terminal of the King Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah, at 5:13pm Saudi time. Deputy Governor of the Makkah Region, Prince Saud bin MISHAL bin Abdulaziz Al Saud; Nigerian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Ambassador Yakubu Gambo; and Hon. Consul-General, Ambassador Muazam Ibrahim Nayaya, accompanied the president to the airport. Before departure, Tinubu had a brief meeting with the deputy governor of Makkah at the Royal Guest Palace at the airport. On arrival in Saudi Arabia last Thursday, the president led his delegation to perform the Umrah rites, including the circumambulation of the Holy Ka’abah. Last Sunday, Tinubu was granted the rare privilege of entering the sacred structure, where he and members of his delegation performed the two raka’at prayers. Inside the Holy Ka’abah, the president offered special supplications to Almighty Allah for lasting peace, security, unity, and prosperity in Nigeria, while seeking divine guidance, wisdom, and strength to continue to serve the Nigerian people. Tinubu also prayed for Allah’s continued blessings upon Nigeria, its leaders, and citizens, expressing hope that the country’s diversity would be transformed into a source of strength, national cohesion, and shared prosperity. The president’s visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia provided an opportunity for spiritual reflection, thanksgiving, and prayers for Nigeria, as well as renewed commitment to the national task of building a peaceful, united, and prosperous nation. Tinubu expressed appreciation to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, for the special courtesies and hospitality extended to him and his delegation, particularly the privilege of accessing the Holy Ka’abah to offer prayers.