National News
Major Boost For Education Sector As VP Shettima Launches Dangote Foundation Scholarship Initiative
Major Boost For Education Sector As VP Shettima Launches Dangote Foundation Scholarship Initiative
*Seeks more investment in education to reverse West Africa’s low human capital index
*Applauds Dangote’s ₦100bn annual education support scheme, visionary philanthropy
By: Our Reporter
The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, has flagged off the Aliko Dangote Foundation Education Scholarship Initiative, with a call for stakeholders to recommit to building a future where every Nigerian child can become the best version of themselves.
This is just as the President of the Foundation, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, unveiled a ₦100 billion annual education support programme aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s educational sector and expanding access to quality learning for young people nationwide.
The programme, projected to cost ₦1 trillion over the next ten years, will support students across multiple levels through a range of targeted schemes.
Speaking on Thursday in Lagos during the launch of the education scholarship scheme, the Vice President extolled Dangote’s philanthropic stride, saying education is a burden carried by those with the knowledge of its power to transform.
“Now is the time to recommit to building a future in which every Nigerian child has a fair shot at becoming the best version of themselves. Let us live our lives so that posterity will remember us not for the offices we held or the titles we bore. Posterity must remember us for the doors we opened and the lives we transformed,” he stated.
Senator Shettima implored the private sector and corporate entities to invest in education, insisting that they must consider themselves as stakeholders in the survival of Nigeria’s education system.
Noting that there was no better time than now to confront the “consequences of demographic acceleration,” VP Shettima said, “A youthful population is a global asset only when it is educated. Without education, it becomes a threat to itself and to the nation that houses it.
“We come from a difficult history. Formal education was once treated as an intrusion. It was seen as an affliction. It was seen as a scheme to estrange children from their heritage. The residue of that suspicion, the gap that misunderstanding created, still weighs heavily upon our national progress.”
The VP pointed out that, rather than expecting a miracle or mere rhetoric to close and erase the gap created by such misunderstanding, deliberate effort must be made “to end a needless cycle of failure that has persisted for far too long.”
This, he said, inspired President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to roll out bold and far-reaching reforms, including the introduction of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND, to create equitable access to education for all under his watch.
“We strengthened UBEC to deepen basic education infrastructure and accountability. We expanded TETFUND’s intervention footprint to revitalise tertiary institutions. We accelerated our Technical and Vocational Education and Training programmes to reflect the needs of a new economy. We also mainstreamed digital learning as a core national priority,” he added.
The Vice President decried what he described as the “reality of West Africa as the region that now carries the burden of having the lowest Human Capital Index in the world,” stating that Nigeria must invest in education to reverse the trend.
“We must treat education as a survival strategy. This is why our administration treats the National Human Capital Development Programme as a national emergency. We are bringing states, development partners, the private sector and civil society together to reclaim our destiny,” he said
The VP described the Founder and President/CEO of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Dangote, as standing apart, saying “in a nation that has produced giants, he remains a colossus.
Applauding the 100 billion annual education support scheme, he said, “His (Dangote’s) philanthropy is not episodic. His philanthropy is structural. His philanthropy is generational. His philanthropy is visionary. He is not only the largest private employer of labour in Nigeria. He has also become the most consequential private investor in the rescue of our most critical sector, education,” he said.
Earlier, President of the Foundation, Alhaji Dangote, said the Foundation’s ₦100 billion annual education support programme will strengthen Nigeria’s educational sector and expand access to quality learning for young people nationwide, assuring that all beneficiaries will be selected through a transparent, merit-based process.
He further announced partnerships with NELFUND, NECO, WAEC, and other government agencies to ensure accountability and fairness in programme delivery, revealing that he has dedicated 25 percent of his personal wealth to the foundation, a commitment that will extend beyond his lifetime.
Also, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, described the initiative as one of the most comprehensive human capital development programmes in Nigeria’s history, which aligns with the Federal Government’s education reform agenda.
Dr. Alausa also noted that 25 percent of the scholarship slots will be reserved for persons living with disabilities, calling the gesture a “humane and inclusive approach.”
In her goodwill message, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, commended the foundation’s investment in education, saying the expanded scholarship opportunities—particularly in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET)—would create new pathways for Nigerian children.
She described investment in girls’ education as one of the most powerful tools for societal progress.
Speaking on behalf of state governors, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu applauded Dangote’s commitment to the future of Nigerian youth.
He acknowledged that the Dangote Foundation has redefined philanthropy in Nigeria, just as he said state governments will work to ensure the success of the initiative, beginning with Lagos State, which has allocated 10 percent of its annual budget to education.
For his part, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, commended Dangote for the initiative, even as he encouraged him to continue championing efforts that improve the lives of Nigerians.
On his part, the Emir of Lafia and Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Aliko Dangote Foundation, Justice Sidi Bage (rtd), pledged the committee’s dedication to ensuring the initiative’s success.
He noted that the long-term multiplier effect of the foundation’s education interventions would significantly strengthen Nigeria’s human capital over the next decade and beyond.
The high point of the event was the unveiling of the vision 2030 100 billion dollar logo of the Dangote Foundation.
Major Boost For Education Sector As VP Shettima Launches Dangote Foundation Scholarship Initiative
National News
President Tinubu Storms Jos Today To Commiserate With Residents Of Angwa Rukuba Massacre
President Tinubu Storms Jos Today To Commiserate With Residents Of Angwa Rukuba Massacre
By: Bodunrin Kayode
President Bola Tinubu will today visit the Plateau state capital Jos to commiserate with residents who lost loved ones during the Palm Sunday shooting spree by criminals that took place at Angwa rukuba area of the city.
The President who was scheduled to visit Ogun state postponed his scheduled trip to Iperu, meant to flag off operations at the Gateway International Cargo Airport.
From the Plateau, the President is expected to travel to Lagos to observe Good Friday public holiday which ushers the beginning of the Easter public holiday which rounds up the lent period.
A state house release signed yesterday by the Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga noted that President Tinubu will travel to Ogun State for the commissioning of the Cargo Airport and the inauguration of two commercial aircrafts for the export and import of goods, aimed at boosting the state’s economic growth on Saturday April 4th.
“He will also inaugurate the new edifice of the Federal Operations Unit of the Nigerian Customs Service and its operational vehicles.
“He will return to Lagos to continue the Easter holiday, during which he is also expected to commission infrastructural projects undertaken by the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
“These projects include: the iconic Ojota/Opebi Link Bridge; the Lagos State Geographic Information System Building; the Multi-Agency Complex named after the President, and a school Complex.
“Before returning to Abuja, President Tinubu will visit Bayelsa State on April 10 to commission some of Governor Duoye Diri’s completed projects.” Said the release.
Sadly several residents lost their lives during the black Palm Sunday shooting spree which is suspected to have been carried out by auto bike riding bandits following after their patterns in the hinterlands of the state.
These bandits who had tormented, killed and destroyed homes of residences of the Jos north axis of the state for several years after September 7th 2001
This damnation let loose on innocent residents is resurfacing after hundreds of killings had occurred in the Jos North council area of the state from September 7th 2001 till date.
And because of the myriad of challenges creeping into the federal security system sub regionals have geared up to manage their on police and Intel services which would assist greatly because they are masters of their territories.
The Federal government is fast tracking the process of state police to ensure that each sub nationals take charge of their environment to ensure that they support the center in the maintenance of internal security.
President Tinubu Storms Jos Today To Commiserate With Residents Of Angwa Rukuba Massacre
National News
NiMet predicts 107 to 138 days of rainfall in Gombe
NiMet predicts 107 to 138 days of rainfall in Gombe
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has said that in 2026, the length of the rainy season in Gombe State is expected to be between 107 and 138 days.
This is contained in the Agency’s 2026 Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP) document, which Gayus Musa, the meteorological manager for Gombe State, made available to Our Correspondent in Gombe on Tuesday.
The total amount of rainfall across Gombe State in 2026 is predicted to be between 701 mm in the northern part of the state (Nafada) and 1089 mm in the South (Shongom).
The onset of the rainfall is expected to commence in the state on May 29 (Shongom) and cease by October 22 (Yamaltu/Deba).
Similarly, in the prediction, four local government areas of the state, namely: Nafada, Yamaltu/Deba, Dukku and Funakaye were likely to be impacted by a severe dry spell (21 days and above) between June and August.
Musa while speaking to Our Correspondent on the first rainfall experienced in some communities in Akko, Gombe and Yamaltu/Deba Local Government Areas of the state on Monday urged farmers to resist the temptation of early planting of crops.
He described the first rain as false onset, explaining that the rainfall was false because it would not support any germination as seeds planted with such rain would not survive.
“This (first rain) is a false onset because the precipitation cannot carry any germination and so any seed planted would not survive.
“So farmers should not engage themselves in planting but to prepare their farmlands while getting their seeds and other inputs ready,” he said.
Musa advised farmers in the state, to make use of the prediction in carrying out farming activities towards avoiding losses in view of the impact of climate change on agriculture.
He further urged relevant authorities in the state to take proactive measures towards tackling environmental issues associated with the rainy season.
NiMet predicts 107 to 138 days of rainfall in Gombe
National News
Tuggar Resigns from Tinubu’s Cabinet, Sets for Bauchi Governorship
Tuggar Resigns from Tinubu’s Cabinet, Sets for Bauchi Governorship
By: Michael Mike
The rumoured interest of Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar in becoming the governor of Bauchi State come 2027 may have been confirmed he resigned on Monday to prepared ground for actualization of his political ambition.
The resignation was ahead of the deadline set for political appointees seeking elective positions in the forthcoming general elections.
In a resignation letter submitted to the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Tuggar expressed profound gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the opportunity to serve the country and contribute to the implementation of the administration’s Four-D foreign policy strategy.
The former minister also appreciated the management and staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and members of the diplomatic community for their cooperation and support throughout his tenure.
During his time in office, Tuggar was credited with advancing Nigeria’s foreign policy objectives through initiatives focused on people-centred diplomacy. These included humanitarian evacuations, facilitation of scholarships for Nigerians abroad, and sustained support for citizens in the diaspora.
His tenure also witnessed increased diaspora engagement, including efforts to develop a structured database of Nigerians living abroad aimed at strengthening their participation in national development.
In addition, Tuggar strengthened bilateral and multilateral relations through strategic engagements with traditional partners and regional alliances, particularly across the Global South. His leadership also promoted regional security cooperation and supported the formation of the Regional Partnership for Democracy initiative.
He also prioritised economic diplomacy, positioning Nigeria as an attractive destination for foreign investment, especially in the energy sector, while facilitating diplomatic interventions that secured the release of detained Nigerians in foreign countries and improved bilateral relations.
The resignation letter was received on behalf of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation by Dr. Abubakar Kana, Permanent Secretary, General Services Office, ahead of the March thirty-first deadline directed by President Tinubu in line with provisions of the Electoral Act.
Tuggar’s resignation was conveyed in a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Media and Communications Strategy, Alkasim Abdulkadir.
Tuggar Resigns from Tinubu’s Cabinet, Sets for Bauchi Governorship
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