When I first arrived in the United States as a young man, I drove a taxi to raise money for my education. I even postponed starting school for several months to save enough money. When I eventually moved to Chicago, I took up different jobs to support myself and pay my way through university.
I understand what it means to worry about tuition fees, accommodation and how to make ends meet while pursuing an education. Those experiences have remained with me.
I know what education made possible in my own life, and I believe every Nigerian child deserves the same opportunity, regardless of where they are born or what their parents can afford.
This is one reason education remains a major priority of our Renewed Hope administration.
Through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), we have provided over ₦372 billion in student loans for institutional fees and upkeep, helping young Nigerians remain in school and pursue their education.
Our technical and vocational education programme has attracted over 2.8 million applications. We have rehabilitated 38 technical colleges, while students in federal and selected state technical colleges now benefit from free school fees, boarding, textbooks and uniforms.
We have also reached a new agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), providing for a 40 per cent increase in academic staff remuneration and measures to improve stability in our 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.
In medical education, we are investing ₦110 billion in rehabilitating 24 medical schools. Annual nursing enrolment has increased from 28,000 to 115,000, while medical and dental enrolment has risen from 5,000 to 12,000.
Nigeria needs more doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals, and we must build the capacity to train them here at home.
Over one million children who were previously out of school have been returned to learning. We are investing in teacher development, expanding educational opportunities for girls and implementing a new national curriculum that restores Nigerian History to our classrooms.
Our children must know where we have come from, understand the country they belong to and be prepared to take responsibility for its future.
I commend the Honourable Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, the Minister of State, Professor Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad, and the entire education team for their dedication to this important work.
I am particularly pleased that the team has developed an interactive A–Z of the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI), bringing together the reforms, programmes, achievements and opportunities across our education system.
I invite every Nigerian to visit edu4pbat.ng and explore the A–Z of NESRI.
If you are a parent, find out what opportunities are available for your children. If you are a student, explore the programmes you can benefit from. If you are a teacher, see what support is available.
And if something is not working as it should in your community, I want to hear about it. Your feedback will help us identify problems and address them.
Our journey from reform to opportunities and shared prosperity must begin with education.
The circumstances of a child’s birth should never determine the limits of their ambition. Our responsibility is to give every Nigerian child a fair chance to fulfil their potential.
We have more work to do, and I am determined to see it through.
Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR
President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria