3 Exceptional Public Servants Receive 2023 AIG Scholarship

Three exceptional Nigerian public servants were awarded a remarkable opportunity to undertake a Masters in Public Policy programme at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford and to gain a world-class public policy education, which they will use to make a lasting impact in the public sector.

The 2023/2024 AIG scholars were: Abdulhakeem Ibraheem Abdulkareem (special assistant to the Kaduna State Governor); Ajike Chinagorom Ogbu, (assistant chief engineer, Performance Management Department, Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation) and Olutimayin Oluseye Itunuoluwa, (deputy manager, Internal Audit Department, Central Bank of Nigeria).

To prepare the scholars for their time at the University of Oxford, the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation, organised a comprehensive pre-departure programme aimed at equipping the scholars with the tools and knowledge they need to thrive during their transformative academic journey. 

In her speech to the scholars, executive vice-chair of the Foundation, Ofovwe Aig-Imoukhuede, highlighted the defining qualities of an AIG Scholar and the impact they are expected to make in public service. 

She noted that, in their time in Oxford, the scholars would be armed with an advanced understanding of public policy and governance, which they could use to shape and implement policies that address the nation’s most pressing challenges.

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Chairman of the foundation, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, in his charge to the scholars, recognised the uniqueness of their current roles as public servants entrusted with the responsibility of serving the greater good of society, ensuring the welfare and progress of the nation as a whole. 

Thanking the scholars for their role in public service, he expressed his expectations that they will return to their Ministries, Departments and Agencies(MDAs) as catalysts of change armed with the knowledge and skills acquired from their studies to drive meaningful progress in the nation’s governance and policies.

Alumni of the AIG Scholarship Programme, Adejoke Are, (special adviser to the chairman, Lagos State Employment Trust Fund) and Hakeem Onasanya, (head, Startups, Lagos Innovates), shared their experience of life in Oxford with the incoming scholars. 

They offered practical advice on thriving during their academic journey, building lasting networks and ultimately leveraging their Oxford experience to contribute positively to Nigeria’s public service landscape.

Since 2017, the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation has awarded 29 scholarships to students across various African countries. The scholarships are just one of the Foundation’s initiatives aimed at building the capacity of the public sector workforce. 

Other initiatives include the AIG Senior Leaders Programme for Federal Permanent Secretaries and the annual AIG Public Leaders Programme, both of which aim to provide high-potential public servants with the knowledge required to bring about transformational change, across their organisations. 

Through its various programmes, the foundation has helped to train nearly 400 public servants since 2017 and has a goal of reaching 3,000 of the country’s top public servants by 2030.

The Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation is a philanthropic organisation founded to improve the lives of Africans through transformed public service delivery and increased access to quality primary healthcare.