By Dr. E. F. Egbere
When 17-year-old Nafisa Abdullahi Aminu from Yobe State won the 2025 TeenEagle Global English Championship in London—emerging top among participants from around the world—it should have been a moment of national jubilation. Instead, she was handed ₦200,000—less than what a minister might spend on a single lunch.
As The Guardian noted in its penetrating editorial, “When brilliance is mocked: The ₦200 000 reward that shamed Nigeria” (published 31 August 2025), this was more than an insult to one student; it was a message to an entire generation that intellect is undervalued. In a nation where entertainers and athletes receive extravagant rewards—such as $100,000 (over ₦160 million) for sports victories—Nafisa’s world-class academic triumph was reduced to a footnote.
Values, however, can change through leadership. The Guardian posited a vision that Nigeria urgently needs: what if Nafisa had been awarded a life-changing scholarship to study at Oxford or Harvard? What if the government had created an Intellectual Heroes Fund? What if the President had hosted her at Aso Rock and declared, “See what books can do. This is the path to greatness”? That single gesture could have spurred a nationwide culture of intellectual pursuit, inspiring millions of youths toward dedication rather than shortcuts.
Recognition is not mere ceremony—it is revolutionary. Nations like Singapore, South Korea, and Finland built their futures by rewarding knowledge, science, and creativity. Nigeria’s youthful population is its greatest asset, but brilliance must be publicly honored if it is to be multiplied. By embracing The Guardian’s call, and by upgrading Nafisa’s reward into a scholarship or a mentorship endowed by an Intellectual Heroes Fund, the President can turn a national embarrassment into a renaissance of intellect.
This imperative intersects critically with Nigeria’s escalating youth drug abuse crisis. According to the National Bureau of Statistics and UNODC, 14.4 percent of Nigerians aged 15–64 (about 14 million people) use drugs, and nearly one in five young people aged 15–34 is caught in substance abuse—the highest prevalence in the world. When society mocks brilliance, youths drift toward music, crime, or narcotics in search of validation or escape. But when achievers are showcased and celebrated, a powerful counter-narrative is constructed. A single intellectual role model can outweigh the influence of ten drug pushers.
Mr. President, this is a defining moment. By embracing Nafisa’s victory as more than a footnote—by transforming it into a national emblem of excellence—you can inspire a generation. A scholarship here, a Heroes Fund there, and the narrative shifts: Nigerian youths realize that greatness lies not in intoxication, but in intellect; not in momentary thrills, but in enduring study. The choice is stark: continue to belittle brilliance and watch our children slip deeper into despair—or elevate achievers like Nafisa and forge a showcase generation. Let us not mock our brightest minds. Let us invest in them. Only then will our youth believe that books—not drugs—are the true path to greatness.
