Presidency honours top performing students on 2025 international students’ day

By Obasola Olatunde 

In a grand celebration marking International Students’ Day 2025, the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Students Engagement has recognized and rewarded top performing students across Nigeria for their academic excellence. The event, held on Wednesday in Abuja, brought together students from universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, secondary schools, and the Nigerian Law School.

The celebration, themed “Celebrating and Rewarding Academic Excellence: A Key to Unlocking Latent Potentials for Sustainable Development”, saw outstanding students receive scholarships, laptops, cash awards, and other empowerment tools aimed at supporting their future endeavors. Exceptional secondary school students were awarded N100,000 each to motivate continued pursuit of academic distinction.

Speaking at the event, Hon. Comrade Sunday Asefon, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Students Engagement, highlighted the transformative power of education in nation-building, noting that students are not just leaders of tomorrow, but contributors to national development today.

He said, “Every great society is built on the brilliance, diligence, and imagination of its young people. When we reward academic excellence, we are investing in Nigeria’s future.”

The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, represented by Dr. David Atuwo, lauded the awardees for their relentless pursuit of knowledge, stressing that scholarships and technology access equip them to become tech innovators, researchers, and policy architects driving national growth.

Similarly, Dr. Doris Usoka Anite, Minister of State for Finance, emphasized society’s collective responsibility to safeguard students’ welfare and ensure safe, inclusive learning environments through initiatives such as the Safe School Initiative. She urged students to remain focused and excel in academics, sports, music, or other talents despite modern distractions.

Postgraduate scholarship awards were presented to the overall best graduating students from each of Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, including Federal University Dutsin Ma (North West), Prince Abubakar Audu University (North Central), Olabisi Onabanjo University (South West), Rivers State University (South South), Federal University of Technology Owerri (South East), and Federal University Wukari (North East).

The event showcased the government’s commitment to nurturing Nigeria’s intellectual capital, reinforcing that investing in education is a strategic pathway to a prosperous and enlightened nation.