The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, on Thursday clarified that the recent gift presented to the winners of the TeenEagle 2024/2025 Global Competition in the United Kingdom was not from the federal government, but from his personal pocket.
In a statement signed by the Director, Press and Public Relations in the ministry, Boriowo Folasade, the minister noted that the token handed down to the girls was not from the government since it has no budget for such expenses.
THISDAY learnt that the reaction may not be unconnected with the response of Nigeria’s online community to the gift, which they insisted was too meagre compared to donations to football and basketball stars, among others.
Three teenage girls, Nafisa Abdullahi Aminu, Rukayya Muhammad Fema, and Hadiza Kashim Kalli emerged champions in the global English-language contest, and were said to have defeated thousands of competitors from across the world. But when news broke that each was handed just N200,000 as a reward, it drew the attention of Nigerians on social media.
“The attention of the Federal Ministry of Education has been drawn to misinformation circulating on social media regarding the monetary gifts presented to the eight Nigerian winners of the TeenEagle 2024/2025 Global Competition in the United Kingdom.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the ministry wishes to state categorically that the monetary tokens presented at the national recognition event held on Thursday, 28th August 2025, were personal gifts from the Honourable Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa. These gifts were not funded by the Federal Government or the Federal Ministry of Education.
“This fact was clearly announced during the event and further reiterated by the Honourable Minister on his verified social media handle. Any claims suggesting otherwise are false and misleading,” the statement noted.
Alausa emphasised that the gift was just a token of his appreciation of the effort made by the young girls and to also serve as encouragement to other girls and young children in Nigeria to excel.
He highlighted that the Federal Ministry of Education does not have any budgetary allocation for cash awards or monetary gifts, explaining that the ministry’s financial provisions are strictly dedicated to scholarships and structured educational support, in line with government policy.
According to the minister, this is only available to students entering or currently studying at Nigeria’s public tertiary institutions universities, colleges of education and polytechnics.
The statement noted that the minister’s gesture should therefore be understood for what it is, which is a personal act of generosity and encouragement, intended to celebrate the achievements of the young girls and inspire other Nigerian children to reach greater heights.
“The Federal Ministry of Education remains committed to recognising excellence, building a robust and globally competitive education system, and delivering on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s vision of education as the cornerstone of national development. Every Nigerian child deserves access to world-class learning opportunities, and this remains our unwavering priority.
“This clarification should lay to rest any misinformation as we continue to encourage all Nigerian children to pursue excellence and reach the highest levels of academic achievement” the statement added.
Emmanuel Addeh
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