While Nigeria was agog with news of the global feat attained by three girls from Yobe State, and debates raged over the kind of recognition and reward the President should bestow on them, my mind was heavy. Whereas, the success of Nafisa Abdullahi Aminu, Ruqayya Muhammad Fema, and Hadiza Kashim Kalli who defeated about 20,000 participants from 69 different countries to emerge victorious at a global competition ought to be a moment of national pride, it instead, painfully rekindled in me, memories of my late friend, Alkali Saleh; who we lost last four years.
The pain stems from a conversation we once had on the sidelines during one of our events at Arewa Youths Forum (AYF) where late, Alkali spoke glowingly about the educational interventions championed by Governor Mai Mala Buni, programmes he believed could put Yobe State firmly on the educational map of Nigeria sooner than anyone could imagine.
Late Alkali spoke particularly of a wave of scholarships Gov. Buni had introduced for children from less privileged backgrounds.
He also shared with me how his own daughter, Saleh Fatima Alkali, was one of the lucky beneficiaries of the awards, tenable for senior secondary studies at the Turkish Tulip International School in Yobe, and how it has opened life-changing opportunities for beneficiaries. Incidentally, Saleh Fatima Alkali’ is the same Turkish school that produced the trio of Nafisa, Ruqayya, and Hadiza.
In that global competition, Nafisa decisively “defeated the English in their own language,” while Ruqayya and Hadiza brought home awards from the TeenEagle Global English Championship, organised by a UK-based non-governmental organisation.
Coincidentally, Saleh Fatima Alkali herself was in the limelight back in 2022, when she stunned a nation conditioned to believe that Northern students as academically daft when she posted one of the most impressive scores in that year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). Like Nafisa and her colleagues, Fatima’s education at the Tulip School was made possible through the state government’s sponsorship.
Commenting on Fatima’s UTME feat at the time, Reno Omokri waxed lyrical as he described her as a silent achiever… “who did not forge her result, did not boast about it, did not even publish it; did not compare herself to others, and did not gloat. She just scored perhaps the highest mark in the JAMB UTME Examination, and remained humble and modest.”
As a friend of her late father, I felt a deep personal pride when Fatima, now studying Architecture at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, made Yobe and the Arewa region proud with her stellar UTME performance. And now, I can say I’m not the least surprised that the duo of Nafisa, Ruqayya and Hadiza are following her footsteps of excellence.
But while I join others to celebrate the girls, I believe the true credit must go to Gov. Buni. Yes, some may argue that investing in education is simply part of Buni’s job description and they may be right. Yet, to dismiss the dedication with the has taking on education head-on would be to downplay the extraordinary effort, resilience, and vision that is already bearing fruits.
When Gov. Buni assumed office, Boko Haram insurgency had overran the education system in Yobe state. Many primary schools had been converted into IDP camps, while enrollment figures had plummeted. Faced with this grim reality, Buni declared a State of Emergency on Education. He followed this with deliberate, well-funded investments in infrastructure, teacher training, and scholarships.
At the primary level, his administration rolled out Mega Schools in major towns like Damaturu, Potiskum, Gashua, Geidam, and Nguru. These modern facilities, equipped with ICT labs, libraries, and science rooms, were deliberately designed to provide world-class learning environments. Notable examples include Damaturu Modern Mega Primary School, Gashua Modern Mega Primary School, and Potiskum Model Mega Primary School.
At the secondary level, legacy institutions battered by insurgency were renovated and brought back to life. Schools like Government Secondary School Damaturu, Government Girls’ Secondary School Nguru, and Government Science and Technical College Potiskum have been rehabilitated, while new model secondary schools have been established in underserved areas.
Beyond educational infrastructure, scholarships have emerged as one of the greatest pillars of Buni’s approach to educational transformation. Among the schemes are: Buni Foreign Scholarships Scheme (BFSS), International Scholarships Scheme (ISS), Professional Mandatory Certification Scholarship Scheme (PMCS), Tertiary Institutions Teacher Training Scheme (TITTS), and the French and Arabic Mandatory Graduate Courses.
In January 2021 alone, under the BFSS, 233 students were sent to prestigious universities in India to study courses such as Pharmacy, Nursing, Radiology, Physiotherapy, Civil and Petroleum Engineering, ICT, Medical Laboratory Science, Agriculture, Law, and Commerce. Over 200 of them have now graduated, with the rest close to completion.
Another 400 students are pursuing BSc, MSc, and PhD programmes in countries including Turkey, Malaysia, Jordan, the USA, and the UK. Programmes like TITTS and PMCS ensure that graduates gain specialised qualifications that enhance employability.
Domestically, Buni’s administration annually supports over 38,000 students through local scholarships. These include assistance for law graduates to complete the Nigerian Law School, and sponsorship for students in key state institutions. It was through such local scholarship support that Saleh Fatima Alkali, Nafisa, Ruqayya, and Hadiza accessed quality secondary education, and were sponsored to the global competition where they etched Nigeria’s name in gold.
The results are now visible. Foreign and local scholarship beneficiaries are returning as qualified doctors, engineers, nurses, lawyers, ICT specialists, and agricultural scientists. And no! These are not “audio” achievements. In fact, Gov. Buni recently hosted 177 returning foreign scholarship recipients at the Yobe State House of Assembly complex, where many shared their experiences publicly. Not one complained of being stranded or abandoned during their studies as we often hear about in other states.
That’s why, as we celebrate Nafisa, Ruqayya, and Hadiza, we must also document for posterity the leadership that made their achievements possible. Their victory at the TeenEagle Global English Championship is not just the result of individual brilliance alone, it is also the outcome of an enabling educational system, rebuilt and strengthened through one man’s vision, investment, and political will.
And yes! The girls, deserve far more than a pat on the back and a referral to NELFUND as shared by Bayo Onanuga on behalf of His excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Their achievements warrant tangible rewards and sustained mentorship. Thankfully, Atiku Abubakar has already announced life scholarships for them. But beyond that, they should be nurtured as ambassadors for education in Yobe and Nigeria at large.
It’s also worth noting that Governor Buni’s approach undermines the cynical belief that four years or even a single term are too short to make meaningful impact. Much of the progress we are now witnessing in Yobe began to bear fruit within just three years of his interventions. And as more beneficiaries complete their studies and return home, the ripple effect on the state’s human capital will only deepen.
So yes, let’s give the girls their flowers, but let’s also remember to water the tree from which such flowers bloom. In this case, that tree is Yobe’s evolving education sector, firmly rooted in a vision that refused to let insurgency write the final chapter of the state’s story.
So, in honouring the girls, we must not forget to honour the leadership that dared to believe children from Yobe state could compete with, and even beat the best in the world. Let us honour Gov. Buni for believing that Yobe has what it takes to rub shoulders with the best educationally.
Kera, a journist, he writes from Abuja