Niger Governor Redeems N250m Pledge To LEADERSHIP Young Person Of The Year

Niger State governor, Mohammed Umar Bago, has redeemed his promise of a N250 million gift to Auwalu Salisu, a Kano-based commercial tricycle rider, in appreciation of his act of honesty in returning N15 million he found in his tricycle to the owners.

Bago made the promise in March at the LEADERSHIP Annual Conference and Awards where Auwalu was announced as the newspaper’s Outstanding Young Person of the Year 2023 for his rare act of honesty in returning the N15 million he found in his tricycle to the owners.

Bago had promised Auwalu N50m scholarship each from him, President Bola Tinubu, Ministers, APC Governors Forum, and Niger State government respectively, which he has now redeemed.

Auwalu also received a scholarship offer to the Abuja-based Baze University up to PhD level from a fellow awardee and presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Peter Obi during the LEADERSHIP Annual Conference Award.

To ensure effective management of the cash gift from Governor Bago, a trustee comprising representatives from the Niger State government, LEADERSHIP, the Sam Nda-Isaiah Foundation, and Auwalu’s family has been constituted.

The Niger State SSG, Alhaji Abubakar Usman, and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Digital and Strategic Communications, Abdulberqy Usman Ebbo, will represent Niger State on the board. Auwalu selected his uncle, Auwalu Tukur, and one Shehu Bala Kabara, to serve on the committee.

A statement by chairman of LEADERSHIP Group Ltd, Zainab Nda-Isaiah said the Trustee would be inaugurated at a date to be announced later.

“The Trustee will oversee the use of the fund including making provision for Auwalu’s education and upskilling, among other laudable initiatives it deemed necessary in line with the reason Governor Bago gave the gift.”

She said, “By redeeming his pledge, the governor has demonstrated that his word is his bond, an increasingly rare quality, especially in public service.”