I Drove a Taxi and Worked Different Jobs in the US to Pay My Way Through University — President Tinubu

By Micheal Chukwuebuka

President Bola Tinubu has recounted how he worked as a taxi driver and took up several jobs in the United States to finance his university education, saying the experience shaped his commitment to expanding access to education in Nigeria.

In a post shared on X on Wednesday, Tinubu 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.”

He said the experience had remained with him, adding, “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.”

Highlighting his administration’s achievements, Tinubu disclosed that the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) had provided over ₦372bn in student loans for tuition and upkeep.

He also said the technical and vocational education programme had attracted over 2.8 million applications, while 38 technical colleges had been rehabilitated, with students in federal and selected state institutions enjoying free tuition, boarding, textbooks and uniforms.

On university education, he announced a new agreement with ASUU, including a 40 per cent increase in academic staff remuneration, stressing, “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.”

The President further revealed that ₦110bn was being invested in rehabilitating 24 medical schools, while annual nursing enrolment had risen from 28,000 to 115,000.

He added that over one million previously out-of-school children had returned to classrooms and that a new curriculum was being introduced to restore Nigerian History to schools.