First Lady Champions Girl-child Education with New Scholarship Programme

The Renewed Hope Initiative, RHI partnerships with various National and International organisations have continued to boost the number of Nigerian Youths who now have access to qualitative education.

This comes as the Initiative, a brainchild of the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, unveiled 200 AUDA-NEPAD/African School of Economics/ RHI Scholarships beneficiaries.

At the unveiling, held at the Banquet Hall of the State House Abuja, the First Lady, in a statement by her media aide, Busola Kukoyi, reiterated that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration will continue to prioritise education, as evident in the various policies and programmes it is implementing in the sector.

“The administration of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has done so much in the education sector.

The recent zero-interest Student Loans scheme, bursary and scholarship awards to students, and various education infrastructure development projects are all geared towards providing unhindered access to education for every Nigerian student.”

“Last year, the Renewed Hope Initiative under its National Scholarship Programme (RHI-NASP)gave scholarships of N1,000,000 per annum for four years and a brand new laptop to students in Nigerian tertiary institutions.

This is to assist the students with tuition fees, books, and other educational expenses. The second tranche of payment for the beneficiaries is due in September 2024”.

Senator Tinubu explained that she has consistently emphasised the education and empowerment of the Nigerian girl child, who was culturally and traditionally excluded, to a greater extent than her male counterpart, from receiving comprehensive formal education. She said this has brought about the need to establish Alternative High Schools for Girls across the country.

The Minister for Education, Prof Tahir Mamman, corroborated this, explaining that the First Lady is an education Champion.

“Your Excellency, your commitment and drive in the education sector are highly appreciated. As the Ministry, we also support this drive with an additional 4,000 bursary grants for tertiary education students in the country.”

In her remarks, Princess Gloria Akobundu, CEO of AUDA-NEPAD in Nigeria, pointed out that the beneficiaries are set to receive qualitative education from within and outside Nigeria.

The Finnish Ambassador to Nigeria, Leena Pylvanainen, stated that her country is ready to explore more partnerships with the Renewed Hope Initiative in Education.

With the scholarship, 200 students in various fields will commence their academic careers at the African School of Economics, an affiliate of Priston University, USA.