FG Hails 12 Chibok Girls Graduating From American University Nigeria

The federal government has hailed the 12 Chibok girls who are among the 236 graduating students of the Class of 2026 at the American University of Nigeria.

The government assured them that, beyond sponsoring them through the university, more support would still come their way to enable them achieve their full potential.

Vice President Kashim Shettima, gave this assurance on Saturday during the 17th Commencement Ceremony of the university in Yola, where the 12 graduands, from the 106 Chibok girls being sponsored by the federal government, received their degree certificates.

In 2014, more than 200 teenagers were abducted from their school in Chibok town, Borno State. More than a hundred have since been rescued, leaving others still in captivity more than 12 years later.

Speaking, Shettima, who was represented by the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, Prof Abdullahi Ribadu, said; “Your country sees you. Your country is proud of you. Your country has not finished its obligations towards you.”

He commended the leadership of the university for opening its academic community to the Chibok girls, surrounding them with academic rigour and human care, and holding them to the highest standards.

He added; “This is more than an educational effort; it is a declaration that no young woman’s life should be permanently defined by the violence or hardship of her past.”

Addressing the graduating class, he said graduating at this point in Nigeria’s history is both a privilege and a responsibility.

“Your families made sacrifices to support your education. Your country has invested resources, time, and hope in your future. That investment must be repaid through service, innovation, leadership, and commitment to national progress.

“Nigeria needs graduates who are willing to engage with the country’s challenges honestly and courageously in technology, agriculture, research, policy, and development. Your country needs you,”

Earlier, the vice-chancellor of the university, DeWayne Frazier, described the graduating students as difference makers, time changers, market disruptors, and people with a mission and a motive to improve the country through their leadership.

He said that, for the 12 Chibok girls who walked across the commencement stage, “This graduation is far more than the completion of a degree. It is a sacred moment of triumph over fear, resilience over trauma, and hope over everything that once tried to silence their future.”

He added that “when they cross that stage, they will carry with them not only their own dreams, but the prayers of families, communities, Nigeria, and people around the world who believed that their story must not end in captivity, pain, or loss.

“Their graduation is a living testimony that education is still one of the most powerful forces on earth. It says to every young girl that her life has value, her mind has power, and her future can still be reclaimed,” Frazier said.

The vice-chancellor, who expressed deep emotion, said the graduation of the girls was not simply a university ceremony, but a moment of humanity, healing, courage, and grace.

“To see them stand tall, receive their degrees, and step into the world as graduates of the American University of Nigeria will remind all of us why we do this work. Their courage will bless that stage, and their achievement will forever be part of AUN’s story. For many years, our cry was ‘Bring Back Our Girls’, but today, we send our girls forward,” he said.

In her remarks, the Commencement Speaker, Stephanie Busari, urged the girls to carry their certificates as a form of power that belongs entirely to them and not as a burden.

She said, “To the 12 young women, you were taken from your hostel in the middle of the night by men who believed that your education was a threat worth eliminating. They understood that education has power. What they failed to understand is that once that power takes root in the present, it cannot be removed by force.”