Tinubu Recalls Working As Taxi Driver In US, Says Poverty Must Not Deny Children Education

President Bola Tinubu has recalled how he worked as a taxi driver in the United States to raise money for his university education, saying his personal experience has strengthened his determination to ensure that poverty does not prevent Nigerian children from accessing quality education.

The President made this known in a statement shared on his verified X account on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, while highlighting his administration’s ongoing reforms and investments in the education sector.

Tinubu explained that when he arrived in the United States as a young man, he faced serious financial challenges and had to postpone the commencement of his university education for several months to save enough money.

According to him, after arriving in Chicago, he took up different jobs, including driving a taxi, to support himself and pay his university expenses.

He said the experience gave him firsthand knowledge of the difficulties students face in meeting financial obligations such as tuition fees, accommodation and other living expenses while pursuing their education.

The President stressed that a child’s future should not be determined by the financial situation of their parents, insisting that every Nigerian deserves an opportunity to acquire quality education.

Tinubu said his personal experience had reinforced his belief that education remains one of the strongest instruments for transforming lives, reducing poverty and creating opportunities for future generations.

Highlighting his administration’s achievements in the education sector, the President disclosed that more than ₦372 billion had been made available through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) to assist students with institutional fees and upkeep allowances.

He explained that the student loan programme was introduced to ensure that financial difficulties would not force young Nigerians to abandon their academic pursuits.

Tinubu also disclosed that the Federal Government’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programme had attracted more than 2.8 million applications, while 38 technical colleges had been rehabilitated across the country.

He added that students in federal and selected state technical colleges were benefiting from free tuition, boarding facilities, textbooks and uniforms as part of efforts to promote technical education and equip young Nigerians with relevant skills for employment.

On university education, the President said his administration had reached a new agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), which includes a 40 per cent increase in lecturers’ remuneration and measures to strengthen stability in the university system.

He maintained that prolonged strikes and disruptions to academic activities must become a thing of the past, stressing that Nigerian students deserve to complete their university programmes 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 further revealed that the Federal Government was investing ₦110 billion in the rehabilitation of 24 medical schools and expanding the country’s capacity to train more healthcare professionals.

According to him, annual nursing enrolment has increased from 28,000 to 115,000, while admission into medical and dental programmes has risen from 5,000 to 12,000.

The President said Nigeria must strengthen its local capacity to produce more doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals rather than depend heavily on foreign-trained personnel.

He also disclosed that more than one million children who were previously out of school had been returned to classrooms through government interventions.

Tinubu added that his administration was strengthening teacher development programmes, expanding educational opportunities for girls and implementing a revised national curriculum that has restored Nigerian History to classrooms.

He explained that teaching Nigerian History would help young people understand the country’s past, appreciate their national identity and prepare to contribute meaningfully to its future.

The President commended the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, the Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad, and other officials of the ministry for their contributions to the implementation of the administration’s education policies.

He also highlighted the development of an interactive A–Z information platform for the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative, designed to provide Nigerians with details about government programmes, reforms, achievements and available opportunities.

Tinubu urged parents, students and teachers to visit edu4pbat.ng to learn more about the available initiatives and identify programmes that could benefit them.

He further encouraged Nigerians to provide feedback and report challenges affecting the implementation of education policies in their communities, saying such information would help the government identify gaps and improve service delivery.

The President maintained that Nigeria’s transition from economic reforms to shared prosperity must be driven by sustained investment in human capital, particularly through improved access to quality education.

He reiterated that the circumstances surrounding a child’s birth should never determine how far the child can go in life, adding that the government has a responsibility to provide every Nigerian child with a fair opportunity to achieve their ambitions.