Cash Gifts to TeenEagle Winners, a Personal Gesture from Education Minister, FG Clarifies

By Eric Elezuo

The Federal Government of Nigeria through the Ministry of Education, has clarified the reports making the rounds concerning monetary rewards given to the winners of the just concluded TeenEagle competition, saying it has nothing to do with the federal government.

In a statement dated September 3, 2025, and signed by the Director, Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade, the Ministry noted that the monetary rewards was a private show of gesture by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, and not the federal government’s assisted reward.

The statement further clarified that 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,” adding that the minister’s kindness “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.”

Read the statement in full:

CLARIFICATION ON MONETARY GIFTS PRESENTED TO TEENEAGLE 2024/2025 WINNERS

The attention of the Federal Ministry of Education has been drawn to misinformation circulating on social media regarding the monetary gifts presented to the eight Nigerian winners of the TeenEagle 2024/2025 Global Competition in the United Kingdom.

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.

This fact was clearly announced during the event and further reiterated by the Honourable Minister on his verified social media handle. Any claims suggesting otherwise are false and misleading.

Dr. Alausa emphasised that, “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”.

It must also be underscored that the Federal Ministry of Education does not have any budgetary allocation for cash awards or monetary gifts. 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.

The Federal Ministry of Education remains committed to recognising excellence, building a robust and globally competitive education system, and delivering on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR’s vision of education as the cornerstone of national development. 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.

Boriowo Folasade
Director, Press and Public Relations