The Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), created by Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, recently gave scholarships to 200 university students. These students will start their studies at the African School of Economics, which is connected to Princeton University in the USA, thanks to the AUDA-NEPAD/African School of Economics/RHI Scholarships.
During the event at the Banquet Hall of the State House in Abuja, the First Lady talked about how important education is to the government. She mentioned several programs by President Bola Tinubu’s administration, like interest-free student loans, bursaries, and scholarship awards, all aimed at making sure every Nigerian student can go to school.
“The administration of President Bola Tinubu has done a lot for education. The recent student loan program, bursaries, and scholarship awards, along with various projects to improve education infrastructure, are all meant to give every Nigerian student a chance to get an education,” said Mrs. Tinubu.
Last year, RHI gave scholarships worth N1,000,000 per year for four years, along with brand-new laptops to students in Nigerian universities under the National Scholarship Programme (RHI-NASP). This helps students pay for tuition, books, and other school costs. The next set of payments for these scholarships will be made in September 2024.
Mrs. Tinubu also spoke about her focus on educating and empowering Nigerian girls, who often face more barriers to education than boys. To help with this, she is working on setting up Alternative High Schools for Girls across the country.
Education Minister Prof. Tahir Mamman praised Mrs. Tinubu’s efforts, calling her a champion of education. He said the ministry is also supporting this initiative with 4,000 more bursary grants for university students in Nigeria.
Gloria Akobundu, Chief Executive of AUDA-NEPAD in Nigeria, said the scholarship winners will get a good education both in Nigeria and abroad. Finnish Ambassador to Nigeria, Leena Pylvanainen, also said her country is ready to partner with RHI on education projects.
These scholarships show a strong effort to improve education in Nigeria and give students the support they need to succeed in their studies and future careers.
