President Bola Tinubu has revealed how he survived as a young Nigerian in the United States, disclosing that he drove taxis, worked as a security guard and took up other menial jobs to raise money for his university education.
Tinubu also recalled that he postponed his admission for several months after arriving in America in 1975 because he needed time to save enough money to pay his tuition and accommodation bills.
The President made the revelation on Wednesday in a post on his X handle while highlighting his administration’s achievements in the education sector.
According to him, his difficult experience as a struggling student in the US shaped his belief that financial circumstances should not prevent Nigerian children from acquiring education.
“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.
Tinubu disclosed that after arriving in Chicago, he combined different jobs with his studies to finance his university education.
“I know what it means to worry about tuition, accommodation and how to make ends meet while pursuing an education,” he added.
The President’s latest revelation brings back memories of an unusual episode from his days as a taxi driver in America, when he reportedly received a slap from a Nigerian naval officer who was unhappy with the fare he charged.
Tinubu had recounted the incident in 2023, explaining that he operated an unlicensed taxi service, popularly known as a ‘gypsy cab’, with a used car.
He said they picked passengers at the airport and drove them to their destinations to make money.
According to his account, he once drove a naval officer returning to Nigeria to his home in a Virginia suburb but did not know the correct fare because he was unfamiliar with the route.
After Tinubu quoted a price, the passenger allegedly slapped him, accusing him of overcharging.
The President said the incident remained one of the unforgettable experiences from his days behind the wheel.
Beyond taxi driving, Tinubu said he also worked as a dishwasher, night security guard and door guard to support himself.
He attended Richard J. Daley College in Chicago before proceeding to Chicago State University, where he graduated in 1979 with a degree in Business Administration, majoring in accounting.
His university education and subsequent career in the US eventually opened the way for him to work with accounting and corporate organisations, including Deloitte and GTE Services Corporation, before returning to Nigeria in 1983.
Drawing on those experiences, Tinubu said his administration was determined to make education more accessible to Nigerians, irrespective of their family backgrounds.
He disclosed that the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) had disbursed more than N372 billion in student loans to cover institutional fees and upkeep allowances.
The scheme, established under the Students Loans (Access to Higher Education) Act, 2024, provides interest-free financial assistance to eligible students in public tertiary institutions.
The President also said the government’s technical and vocational education programme had attracted more than 2.8 million applications, while 38 technical colleges had been rehabilitated.
According to him, students in federal and selected state technical colleges now enjoy free tuition, boarding, textbooks and uniforms.
On university education, Tinubu said his administration had reached a new agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), featuring a 40 per cent increase in academic staff remuneration and measures to improve stability in the nation’s universities.
“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,” he said.
He further disclosed that N110 billion was being invested in the rehabilitation of 24 medical schools, while annual nursing enrolment had increased from 28,000 to 115,000.
Medical and dental enrolment, he added, had also risen from 5,000 to 12,000.
The President said more than one million previously out-of-school children had returned to classrooms, while the government was investing in teacher development and expanding educational opportunities for girls.
He also announced the implementation of a new national curriculum designed to restore Nigerian History to classrooms.
Tinubu urged parents, students, teachers and other stakeholders to explore the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative through edu4pbat.ng and provide feedback on challenges affecting schools in their communities.
He maintained that every Nigerian child deserved the opportunity to fulfil their potential, regardless of the circumstances of their birth.
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