President Bola Tinubu has urged Nigerians to report problems affecting their communities, promising that his administration will address issues identified through public feedback.
The President made the appeal on Wednesday in a post on his verified X handle, @OfficialPBAT, while highlighting his administration’s education reforms and efforts to expand access to learning through student loans and other interventions.
Tinubu said public feedback would help the government identify areas requiring attention and improve service delivery across the country.
“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,” he said.
The President also said Nigeria’s journey from economic reforms to shared prosperity must begin with education, describing access to learning as essential to providing opportunities for young Nigerians.
Defending the introduction of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), through which more than ₦372 billion has been disbursed in student loans, Tinubu recalled his experience working to finance his university education in the United States.
“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.
“Those experiences have stayed with me. 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,” he said.
Tinubu said education remained a major priority of his administration, citing interventions in technical and vocational education, university funding and healthcare training.
He disclosed that 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 benefit from free school fees, boarding, textbooks and uniforms.
The President also announced 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 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.
On medical education, Tinubu said the government was investing ₦110 billion in the rehabilitation of 24 medical schools.
He added that annual nursing enrolment had increased from 28,000 to 115,000, while medical and dental enrolment had 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 said.
Tinubu further disclosed that more than one million children who were previously out of school had returned to learning, while his administration was investing in teacher development, expanding educational opportunities for girls and introducing a national curriculum that restores Nigerian History to classrooms.
He said the measures were aimed at improving educational opportunities and preparing young Nigerians to contribute to the country’s future.
The President commended the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad, and other members of the education team for their work.
He also invited Nigerians to visit edu4pbat.ng to explore the A–Z of the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI), which brings together government programmes, reforms and opportunities in the education sector.
Tinubu urged parents, students and teachers to familiarise themselves with available programmes and support, reiterating that a child’s background should not determine their future opportunities.
“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,” he said.
Deji Elumoye
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