• Returns to Abuja after Umrah
•Tasks Nigerians to inform him about issues not working properly in their areas, guarantees to repair recognized issues
• Insists nation’s journey from reform to shared prosperity should start with training, justifies introduction of NELFUND
•APC lists Tinubu’s training milestone, highlights $552 million for fundamental training, technical schools’ growth
• Recalls FG budgeted document N3.52 trillion for training in 2026
Deji Elumoye and Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
President Bola Tinubu, yesterday, reminisced on his scholar days in the United States, and recalled how he drove taxi and did totally different odd jobs to pay his payments whereas his college training lasted.
In a publish on X, @OfficialPBAT, Tinubu additionally challenged Nigerians to give him suggestions about issues that weren’t working correctly in their areas, pledging to repair recognized issues.
The president departed King Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday for Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, after the profitable completion of his Umrah (Lesser Hajj) in the Holy metropolis of Makkah.
In the publish on X, he justified the introduction of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) via which over N372 billion had been disbursed as college students’ loans to younger Nigerians, and spoke extensively about his scholar days
He informed Nigerians, “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.”
Focussing on his financial reforms, Tinubu mentioned Nigeria’s journey from reform to shared prosperity should start with training.
In the prolonged publish on why no Nigerian needs to be denied training due to lack of fund, Tinubu said, “When I first arrived in the United States as a younger man, I drove a taxi to earn cash for my training. I even had to postpone beginning faculty for a number of months to save sufficient.
“When I finally received to Chicago, I labored totally different jobs to help myself and pay my method via college. I know what it means to fear about tuition, lodging, and the way to make ends meet whereas pursuing an training.
“Those experiences have stayed with me. I know what training made attainable in my very own life, and I consider each Nigerian little one deserves that very same alternative, no matter the place they’re born or what their dad and mom can afford.
“This is one reason education remains a major priority of our Renewed Hope administration. Through NELFUND, we have provided over N372 billion in student loans for institutional fees and upkeep, helping young Nigerians remain in school and pursue their education.”
Tinubu additionally said, “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.”
He introduced, “We have reached a brand new settlement with ASUU, offering for a 40 per cent improve in educational workers remuneration and measures to enhance 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!”
Tinubu mentioned, “In medical training, we’re investing N110 billion in rehabilitating 24 medical colleges. Annual nursing enrolment has elevated from 28,000 to 115,000, whereas 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.”
He additionally spoke to the out-of-school youngsters situation, saying, “Over a million youngsters who had been beforehand out of college have been returned to studying. We are investing in trainer improvement, increasing academic alternatives for ladies, and implementing a brand new nationwide curriculum that restores Nigerian History to our lecture rooms.
“Our youngsters should know the place we now have come from, perceive the nation they belong to, and be ready to take accountability for its future.
“I commend the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa @DrTunjiAlausa, Minister of State, Professor Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad @Suwaiba_Said, and the whole training crew @NigEducation for his or her dedication to this essential 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.”
The president mentioned, “I invite each Nigerian to go to edu4pbat.ng and discover the A–Z of NESRI. If you’re a dad or mum, discover out what alternatives can be found on your youngsters. If you’re a scholar, discover the programmes you possibly can profit from. If you’re a trainer, see what help is obtainable.
“And if one thing is just not working because it ought to in your neighborhood, I need to hear about it. Your suggestions will assist us determine issues and handle them. Our journey from reform to alternatives and shared prosperity should start with training.
“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.”
Further rolling out his scorecard in the training sector in the final three and a half years, the president mentioned his authorities had expanded entry to studying, improved academics’ welfare, and stabilised the educational calendar throughout larger establishments in the nation.
Spokesperson of All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council (APC-PCC), Dele Aleke, who disclosed the president’s document in a launch, said that the authorities’s interventions coated fundamental and secondary training, technical and vocational coaching, and tertiary training.
Alake, who quoted from the 2026 Nigerian Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI) report of the Federal Ministry of Education, defined that the reforms centered on six precedence areas, specifically technical and vocational training, science and medical sciences, out-of-school youngsters, girl-child training, digitalisation, and training high quality assurance.
According to the NESRI report, the federal authorities allotted a document N3.52 trillion to training in the 2026 price range and secured $552 million for the HOPE-EDU programme, which targets 29 million youngsters, over 500,000 academics, and 65,000 public colleges.
The report mentioned the BESDA programme had returned over a million out-of-school youngsters to studying, skilled 1,400 Tsangaya academics, and established 200 bilingual centres throughout 17 northern states.
It added that the AGILE programme had reached 7.19 million ladies, with 3.7 million enrolled in secondary colleges, whereas over 10,000 colleges had benefited from improved services.
The NESRI index indicated that the administration had launched a revised nationwide curriculum that reintroduced Nigerian History and strengthened Civic and Heritage Studies.
The National Learning Assessment, as an illustration, had been restored to monitor pupils’ efficiency and determine studying gaps.
Under EduRevamp, 53,553 academics had registered, whereas 51,794 joined the first cohort of the Accelerated Teacher Professionalisation Pathway (ATPP), a six-month programme providing skilled {qualifications}, certification and licensing.
Backed by N2 billion, the programme targets 250,000 academics by 2027. Also, the Inspire Live initiative offers on-line classes from Primary One to Senior Secondary School Three, supported by licensed academics and AI-assisted studying.
Under Tinubu’s authorities, the assertion said, the TVET scheme had attracted over 2.8 million functions, with 156,446 verified trainees receiving free coaching, month-to-month stipends and start-up help.
The assertion mentioned, “More than N65.7 billion have already been disbursed to trainees, whereas one other sum of N30.2 billion has gone to coaching centres. The authorities has additionally rehabilitated 38 technical schools and launched free technical training protecting tuition, boarding, textbooks, and uniforms.
“Also, NELFUND, a flagship programme of the Tinubu administration in the education sector, has processed 1,659,853 student loan applications and disbursed N372.62 billion, comprising N192.89 billion for tuition and N179.73 billion for upkeep allowances across 319 tertiary institutions.”
The administration, in accordance to the report, has resolved the age-long dispute between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and authorities, and applied the settlement that offered for 40 per cent improve in educational workers remuneration and improved welfare advantages.
Additionally, the Tertiary Institutions Staff Support Fund has disbursed N28 billion to 15,000 staff throughout 153 public establishments, providing eligible workers loans of up to N10 million for housing, healthcare, transportation and training.
The report added that the federal authorities was investing N110 billion in the rehabilitation of 18 federal medical colleges throughout the six geopolitical zones.
Nursing enrolment rose from 81,480 in 2023 to 114,300 in 2025, whereas 20 STEM-focused tertiary establishments had been authorised and 12 engineering and know-how schools had been focused for rehabilitation.
The federal authorities additionally offered N365 million yearly for analysis and innovation via the National Laureate Prize, whereas the Student Venture Capital Grant disbursed over N2.5 billion to 45 scholar entrepreneurs, the report mentioned. It added that every beneficiary might entry up to N50 million in equity-free funding.
It mentioned entrepreneurship certification was at present ongoing in 14 federal universities, whereas the Diaspora BRIDGE initiative had registered 1,141 Nigerian consultants overseas, reaching 16,675 college students throughout 107 tertiary establishments.
Still on the achievements recorded up to now in the training sector, Alake, who can be Minister of Solid Minerals Development, quoted
Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, as saying the success of Tinubu-led training reforms could be measured by their influence on college students, academics, and establishments, slightly than the amount of cash allotted or the variety of programmes launched.
Alausa said, “Our measure of success is not merely the amount of money allocated to education or the number of programmes introduced. It is the difference these interventions make in the lives of our children, students, teachers and institutions.”
Meanwhile, Tinubu departed Jeddah for Abuja on Wednesday after the profitable completion of his Umrah, lesser Hajj, in the Holy metropolis of Makkah.
The president’s aircraft, in accordance to a launch by presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, took off at the Royal Terminal of the King Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah, at 5:13pm Saudi time.
Deputy Governor of the Makkah Region, Prince Saud bin MISHAL bin Abdulaziz Al Saud; Nigerian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Ambassador Yakubu Gambo; and Hon. Consul-General, Ambassador Muazam Ibrahim Nayaya, accompanied the president to the airport.
Before departure, Tinubu had a quick assembly with the deputy governor of Makkah at the Royal Guest Palace at the airport.
On arrival in Saudi Arabia final Thursday, the president led his delegation to carry out the Umrah rites, together with the circumambulation of the Holy Ka’abah.
Last Sunday, Tinubu was granted the uncommon privilege of getting into the sacred construction, the place he and members of his delegation carried out the two raka’at prayers.
Inside the Holy Ka’abah, the president supplied particular supplications to Almighty Allah for lasting peace, safety, unity, and prosperity in Nigeria, whereas searching for divine steerage, knowledge, and power to proceed to serve the Nigerian folks.
Tinubu additionally prayed for Allah’s continued blessings upon Nigeria, its leaders, and residents, expressing hope that the nation’s variety could be remodeled right into a supply of power, nationwide cohesion, and shared prosperity.
The president’s go to to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia offered a chance for non secular reflection, thanksgiving, and prayers for Nigeria, in addition to renewed dedication to the nationwide job of constructing a peaceable, united, and affluent nation.
Tinubu expressed appreciation to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, for the particular courtesies and hospitality prolonged to him and his delegation, notably the privilege of accessing the Holy Ka’abah to provide prayers.
