The President disclosed this in a statement shared on his verified X account on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, while explaining how his personal experiences influenced his administration’s education policies.
Tinubu said that upon arriving in the United States as a young man, he had to work and save money for several months before beginning his studies.
According to him, he initially postponed his admission to enable him to raise enough funds to support his education before eventually relocating to Chicago.
He explained that driving a taxi was one of the ways he raised money, while he later took up different jobs to pay his tuition fees and accommodation expenses.
“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,” the President said.
He added that his experience of struggling to meet educational and living expenses had remained with him and strengthened his belief that every Nigerian child should have access to quality education, irrespective of their family’s financial background.
Tinubu said the challenges he encountered while studying in the United States informed his administration’s decision to expand access to education through various government initiatives.
Highlighting his administration’s achievements, the President disclosed that the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) had provided more than ₦372 billion in student loans to cover institutional fees and students’ upkeep.
He also revealed that the government’s technical and vocational education programme had attracted over 2.8 million applications, while 38 technical colleges had been rehabilitated.
According to him, students in federal and selected state technical colleges now benefit from free tuition, boarding, textbooks and uniforms.
On university education, Tinubu said his administration had reached an agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), which provides for a 40 per cent increase in academic staff remuneration and measures to improve stability in the university system.
He stressed that Nigerian students deserved to complete their academic programmes within the stipulated periods without unnecessary disruptions.
The President further disclosed that the Federal Government was investing ₦110 billion in the rehabilitation of 24 medical schools to strengthen the country’s capacity to train healthcare professionals.
He said annual nursing enrolment had increased from 28,000 to 115,000, while enrolment in medical and dental programmes had risen from 5,000 to 12,000.
Tinubu also stated that more than one million children who were previously out of school had returned to learning, adding that his administration was investing in teacher development, expanding educational opportunities for girls and introducing a revised national curriculum that restores Nigerian history to classrooms.
He commended the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, the Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad, and other members of the education team for their contributions to the ongoing reforms.
The President also announced an interactive A–Z platform for the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative, designed to provide information about government education programmes, reforms and opportunities available to students, parents and teachers.
He urged Nigerians to explore the platform and report challenges affecting education in their communities to help the government identify areas requiring attention.
Tinubu maintained that every Nigerian child deserved a fair opportunity to fulfil their potential, regardless of their circumstances at birth.
