Vice-President Kashim Shettima, on Thursday in Lagos, inaugurated the Aliko Dangote Foundation’s Education Scholarship Initiative.

Shettima, while inaugurating the initiative, called on stakeholders to recommit to building a future where every Nigerian child can become the best version of themselves.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the N100 billion annual education support programme is aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s education sector and expanding access to quality learning for young people nationwide.

The initiative, projected to cost N1 trillion in the next 10 years, will support students across multiple levels through a range of targeted schemes.

The vice-president extolled Dangote’s philanthropic strides, noting that “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.”

The vice-president 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.

He said there was no better time than now to confront the consequences of demographic acceleration.

He added that “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 estranged children from their heritage.

“The residue of that suspicion, the gap that misunderstanding created, still weighs heavily upon our national progress.”

He said rather than expecting a miracle or mere rhetoric to close and erase the gap created by such misunderstanding, deliberate efforts must be made “to end a needless cycle of failure that has persisted for far too long.”

This, he said, inspired President Bola 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.

He recalled that “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.”

Shettima 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.”

He added that Nigeria must invest in education to reverse the trend, saying “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 described the Founder and President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, as “standing apart in a nation that has produced giants; he remains a colossus.”

Shettima, who applauded the N100 billion annual education support scheme, stressed that “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.”

Earlier, Dangote had explained that the foundation’s N100 billion annual education support programme will strengthen Nigeria’s education sector.

He added that the initiative would expand access to quality learning for young people nationwide, assuring that beneficiaries would 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.

The business mogul revealed that he has dedicated 25 per cent of his personal wealth to the foundation, a commitment that would extend beyond his lifetime.

The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, described the initiative as one of the most comprehensive human capital development programmes in Nigeria’s history.

According to him, the initiative aligns with Federal Government’s education reform agenda.

Alausa, who noted that 25 per cent of the scholarship slots will be reserved for persons living with disabilities, described the gesture as “humane and inclusive approach.”

On her part, the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, commended the foundation’s investment in education.

She said that the expanded scholarship opportunities, particularly in Technical and Vocational Education and, would create new pathways for Nigerian children.

She described investment in girls’ education as one of the most powerful tools for societal progress.

Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos, who spoke on behalf of state governors, commended Dangote’s commitment to the future of Nigerian youths.

He acknowledged that the Dangote foundation has redefined philanthropy in Nigeria.

He said state governments would work to ensure the success of the initiative, beginning with Lagos State, which allocated 10 per cent of its annual budget to education.

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi Ojaja II, also commended Dangote for the initiative and encouraged him to continue championing efforts that improve the lives of Nigerians.

Retired Justice Sidi Bage, the Emir of Lafia and Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Aliko Dangote Foundation, pledged the committee’s dedication to ensuring the success of the initiative.

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.