According to a statement issued on Thursday by the Federal Ministry of Education Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade, the gift was neither funded by the Federal Government nor the Federal Ministry of Education.
President Bola Tinubu’s administration has said that the N200,000 award gifted to the winner of the TeenEagle global finals competition, Nafisah Abdullahi, was a personal gift from the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, not from the Federal Government.
According to a statement issued on Thursday by the Federal Ministry of Education Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade, the gift was neither funded by the Federal Government nor the Federal Ministry of Education.
SaharaReporters reported on August 28 that the gift was presented to Abdullahi by the Minister of Education, Alausa, at a ceremony in Abuja.
But the disclaimer comes amid nationwide condemnation of the N200,000 gift by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and other groups.
The groups contrasted the gift with the lavish reward package given to Nigeria’s Super Falcons and D’Tigress by the Tinubu government following their stunning victories at the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) and the FIBA Afrobasket Championship, respectively.
The Nigerian government had awarded N152 million ($100,000) each in cash rewards to Nigeria’s Super Falcons after their 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) victory.
President Tinubu also conferred national honours on them, and a similar gesture was made to the players of Nigeria’s Women’s Basketball Team after they won the Afrobasket Trophy.
The President also conferred the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) on all 24 players and 11 technical crew members.
In addition, every recipient was allocated a three-bedroom apartment in the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Housing Estate in Abuja.
Condemning the N200,000 given to Abdullahi, NANS said the paltry reward was grossly inadequate when compared to the students’ exceptional global performance.
The association stated that the disparity highlighted how Nigeria prioritises sports over intellectual achievements.
The NANS called on the Federal Government to urgently review the cash reward upward in line with global best practices, stressing that anything short of this would amount to undermining the dignity of Nigerian students and further discouraging academic pursuit in a country already battling a collapsing education sector.
In its disclaimer statement on Thursday, the government said, “For the avoidance of doubt, the Ministry wishes to state categorically that the monetary tokens presented at the national recognition event held on Thursday, 28th August 2025, were personal gifts from the Honourable Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa.
“These gifts were not funded by the Federal Government or the Federal Ministry of Education.”
The statement insisted that it was clearly announced during the event and further reiterated by the Minister on his verified social media handle that the money was not from the Nigerian government.
“Any claims suggesting otherwise are false and misleading,” the statement noted.
The statement quoted the education minister as saying, “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”.
The statement stressed that the Federal Ministry of Education does not have any budgetary allocation for cash awards or monetary gifts.
It said, “The Ministry’s financial provisions are strictly dedicated to scholarships and structured educational support, in line with government policy, which is only available to students entering or currently studying at our public tertiary institutions universities, colleges of education and polytechnics.
“The Honourable Minister’s gesture should therefore be understood for what it is, a personal act of generosity and encouragement, intended to celebrate the achievements of these young girls and inspire other Nigerian children to reach greater heights.”
However, the Federal Ministry of Education said it remains committed to recognising excellence, building a robust and globally competitive education system, and delivering on President Tinubu’s vision.
“Every Nigerian child deserves access to world-class learning opportunities, and this remains our unwavering priority.
“This clarification should lay to rest any misinformation as we continue to encourage all Nigerian children to pursue excellence and reach the highest levels of academic achievement,” the statement added.
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