The Renewed Hope Initiative, a pet project of Nigeria’s First Lady, has disbursed one million naira each to 47 students in higher institutions across the country.
The support, given under the National Scholarship Programme of the Initiative, also included brand new laptops to aid their studies. The beneficiaries, who all maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0, are drawn from diverse disciplines including public administration, botany, business administration, chemistry education, agricultural economics, and animal production and health, among others.
In her remarks at the event, the wife of the president, Oluremi Tinubu, said the support must be sustained to enable indigent students to achieve meaningful education.
“This is a scheme that we have to continue; this is not about politics; it is about people’s lives. Just like in the past when I gave out scholarships, I want to ask you what you also add to the table? You can grow and you can also look for extra things that you can do that can raise money for you and will not hinder your studies,” Mrs. Tinubu said.
She added, “We have given you two years of grace and some of you have two more years to complete your studies, so we have a lot to do, so we pray that the President will have a second term so that we continue,” Mrs. Tinubu said.
Minister of Education Olatunji Alausa commended the First Lady’s commitment to education and highlighted the government’s broader interventions under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
“Our First Lady wants me to talk about the scholarship opportunities available to millions of folks like you out there. This is part of our benevolence commitment to education… In the last two years, the President gave out 12,434 bursary awards amounting to about N10 billion to students in key sectors including medicine and education,” Alausa said.
He continued: “We have given about N4 billion worth of scholarships to about 8,535 students in the last two years alone… The scholarship award now includes N750,000 annually for those studying sciences in STEM and postgraduate education. You can apply through the Ministry of Education’s website portal,” Alausa disclosed
On the Nigeria Education Loan Fund, he explained,“Over 500,000 students across the country have benefited from the loan fund, with about N100 billion disbursed. You don’t pay back until after you graduate, finish NYSC, and get a job, and even then, only a maximum of 10% of your salary,” Alausa explained.
He further noted, “Fifty-five per cent of the 47 scholars today are in STEM fields such as medicine, nursing, engineering, animal science, and food science. That’s where we want to focus a lot of our emphasis,” Alausa said.
Wife of Imo State Governor and National Secretary of the Renewed Hope Initiative, Chioma Uzodinmma, also praised the programme’s consistency.
“We congratulate the first tranche awarded in 2023, followed by the second in September 2024. Scholars who maintained a GPA of 3.0 and above remain eligible. Today’s 47 beneficiaries each receive N1 million annually plus a brand new laptop. We wish you success in your academic session,” Uzodinmma said.
The Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Abdullahi, described the scholarship as transformative.
“This is a life-changing package provided by the First Lady,” Abdullahi said.
The Renewed Hope Initiative’s scholarship underscores Nigeria’s drive to invest in its youth, strengthen STEM capacity, and position the country as a continental leader in education and innovation.