President Bola Tinubu has recalled how he worked as a taxi driver and took up different jobs in the United States to finance his university education, saying his experiences informed his administration’s commitment to expanding access to education in Nigeria.
Tinubu said he had to postpone starting school for several months after arriving in the US to save enough money for his education.
The President disclosed this in a post shared on his X handle on Wednesday while highlighting the achievements of his administration in the education sector.
He said, “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.”
Tinubu said education remained a major priority of his administration, adding that the Nigerian Education Loan Fund had provided over N372bn in student loans to cover institutional fees and upkeep.
NELFUND was established under the Students Loans (Access to Higher Education) Act, 2024, signed into law by Tinubu in April 2024, to provide interest-free financial assistance to eligible Nigerian students in public tertiary institutions.
