AMID widespread celebrations and calls for national recognition, President Bola Tinubu has congratulated three Nigerian students, Nafisa Abdullahi Aminu, Rukayya Muhammad Fema, and Hadiza Kashim Kalli, for their outstanding performance at the 2025 TeenEagle Global competition held in London, United Kingdom.
Seventeen-year-old Nafisa emerged the overall best in English language skills, beating over 20,000 participants from 69 countries, including native English-speaking nations.
Rukayya, 15, was named the best in debate, while Hadiza clinched the gold medal in the outstanding talent category.
In a statement on Wednesday, August 6, by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu described the trio as ‘exceptional young Nigerians’ and praised their triumph as a reflection of the nation’s bright future and the potential embedded in its youth.
The president commended the students’ institutions for nurturing what he called ‘some of the world’s brightest minds’ and reiterated his administration’s commitment to removing financial barriers in education through initiatives like the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).
“President Tinubu commends these exceptional young Nigerians for the feat and affirms that the nation’s future is much brighter with many of its youth as repositories of excellence.
“The president also commends the institutions of learning and states that these accomplishments are a testament to the quality and potential of Nigeria’s education system as a nurturer of some of the world’s brightest minds,” the statement read.
The congratulatory message came as many Nigerians celebrate the young girls’ victory, particularly on social media, where users have called for national honours, scholarships, and housing rewards for the students, in what similar to what was gifted to recent sports champions.
The ICIR earlier reported that the victory of Nafisa, a student at Nigerian Tulip International College (NTIC) in Yobe State, triggered a renewed discourse on Nigeria’s educational potential.
Many Nigerians, including prominent figures, had urged the federal government to grant her a national honour similar to those awarded to the Super Falcons and D’Tigress teams after recent victories.
The Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni, whose scholarship scheme reportedly funded the education of Nafisa and Rukayya at NTIC, has already announced plans to host a grand reception in their honour.
In a statement signed by his media aide, the governor said the students’ achievements ‘”justify the government’s investment in the education sector.”
Similarly, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Minister of Communications Isa Ali Pantami both applauded Nafisa’s feat.
Atiku described it as “a powerful testament to the limitless potential of the Nigerian girl-child when provided with quality education and a supportive environment,” while Pantami called for her to be awarded $100,000, a three-bedroom apartment, and the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) honour.
On July 28, the Nigerian government gifted each member of the Super Falcons $100,000, a flat, and national honours after their Women’s Africa Cup of Nations triumph in Morocco. A similar gesture was extended to the D’Tigress basketball team for their fifth consecutive AfroBasket title on August 4.
Meanwhile, the president encouraged Nafisa, Rukayya, and Hadiza to remain steadfast in their studies and wished them continued success.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M