The Federal Ministry of Education has dismissed reports suggesting that cash awards presented to Nigerian winners of the TeenEagle 2024/2025 Global Competition in the United Kingdom were funded by government.
In a statement issued on Thursday via its official X handle, the ministry explained that the money was given by the Minister of Education, Maruf Tunji Alausa, as a personal gesture.
“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 read.
Earlier in August, ₦200,000 was presented to Nafisah Abdullahi, winner of the TeenEagle Global Finals, while another ₦800,000 was awarded by Manga Automobiles to Nafisa Abdullahi Aminu, winner of the World English Language Competition. In total, the Nigerian winners received ₦1.7 million.
Alausa, writing on his verified social media page, said the donation was a token of encouragement.
“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,” he said.
The ministry stressed that its budgetary provisions do not cover cash awards, adding that government support for students is strictly through scholarships and structured interventions in public tertiary institutions.
It urged the public to disregard claims that the gesture was funded by the federal government, describing such reports as “false and misleading.”
