By Sofiat Adenekan-Abdul
President Bola Tinubu says his experience working as a taxi driver in the United States to fund his education influenced his decision to establish the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).
In a post on his X handle on Wednesday, Tinubu said he understood the financial challenges students face, including paying tuition and accommodation costs.
He recalled postponing his university education for several months to save money before moving to Chicago, where he worked different jobs to support himself.
“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.”
The President said every Nigerian child deserved equal access to education, regardless of their background or financial circumstances.
He disclosed that NELFUND had provided more than N372bn in student loans for tuition and upkeep. He also said students in federal and selected state technical colleges now enjoy free tuition, boarding, textbooks and uniforms.
Tinubu said the government’s technical and vocational education programme had attracted more than 2.8 million applications, while 38 technical colleges had been rehabilitated.
He added that his administration had reached a new agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), including a 40 per cent increase in academic staff remuneration.
“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 also said more than one million out-of-school children had returned to classrooms, while the government was investing in teacher development, girls’ education and a new curriculum that restores Nigerian history to schools.
He further disclosed that the Federal Government was investing N110bn to rehabilitate 24 medical schools, while annual nursing enrolment had increased from 28,000 to 115,000.
