By Onoja Baba, Nigeria
The Federal Ministry of Education has dismissed reports circulating on social media that monetary awards presented to winners of the TeenEagle 2024/2025 Global Competition were funded by the government.
In a statement signed by the Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade, released on Thursday, the ministry clarified that the gifts presented to the eight Nigerian winners during a national recognition event on August 28, 2025, were personal tokens from the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, and not from government coffers.
“This gift was just a token of my appreciation of the effort made by these young girls and to also serve as encouragement to other girls and young children in Nigeria to excel,” Dr. Alausa was quoted as saying.
The ministry stressed that it has no budgetary allocation for cash awards or monetary gifts, noting that its financial provisions are strictly dedicated to scholarships and structured educational support for students in public tertiary institutions, including universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
It urged the public to disregard claims suggesting government involvement in the cash gifts, describing such reports as false and misleading.
According to the statement, the minister’s gesture was simply a personal act of generosity and encouragement aimed at celebrating the winners’ achievements and inspiring other Nigerian children to strive for excellence.
Reaffirming its commitment to quality education, the ministry said it would continue to build a robust, globally competitive system in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s vision of education as the cornerstone of national development.
categories
recent posts
NIGERIA: IBEDC Explains Erratic Power Supply Across Franchise
NIGERIA: FG Moves To Unlock 1,600MW Stranded Power With New Grid Company Plan
