By Paul Ebi
LAGOS — Nigeria stood still on Thursday as Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, detonated what analysts are calling “the most ambitious private education rescue plan in the nation’s history” — a jaw-dropping N100 billion annual education support initiative set to run for over a decade and lift 1.3 million young Nigerians out of the shadows of poverty and school dropout.
In a country where millions of brilliant students are pushed out of school by financial hardship, Dangote declared war on educational exclusion, unveiling a programme so massive that even the Presidency called it “a monumental boost to Nigeria’s human-capital future.”
The plan will support 45,000 students yearly from 2026, rising to 155,000 by the fourth year and staying at that level for a decade — covering all 774 LGAs.
“THIS IS NOT CHARITY — THIS IS A RESCUE MISSION,” DANGOTE THUNDERS
Unveiling the initiative in Lagos, an impassioned Dangote declared:
> “Every child we keep in school strengthens our economy. Our young people are not asking for handouts — they are asking for opportunities. And they deserve that chance.”
With calm authority and unmistakable fire, he warned that Nigeria cannot prosper unless its children are educated:
> “We cannot allow financial hardship to silence their dreams — not when Nigeria’s future depends on their skills and resilience.”
THE FOUR MEGA-PROGRAMMES SET TO REWRITE NIGERIA’S EDUCATION LANDSCAPE
Dangote’s initiative attacks the education crisis from four fronts:
1. Aliko Dangote STEM Scholars – 30,000 students year
1 Funding for science, engineering and technology undergraduates nationwide.
2. Aliko Dangote Technical Scholars – 5,000 students yearly
Toolkits, materials and training for TVET and vocational learners.
3. MHF Dangote Secondary School Girls Scholars – 20,000 girls yearly
A massive investment in out-of-school girls, named after his daughters Mariya, Halima and Fatima — covering girls from JSS1 to university level.
4. The Dangote Teacher Training Programme – 10,000 STEM teachers to start
A nationwide wave of teacher upskilling across all six geopolitical zones.
The initiative will run on a strictly merit-based, fully digital verification and disbursement system, in partnership with NELFUND, JAMB, NIMC, WAEC, NECO and others.
25% OF DANGOTE’S WEALTH LOCKED IN FOR EDUCATION — A FIRST IN NIGERIAN HISTORY
In a stunning revelation, Dangote confirmed he has committed a quarter of his total wealth to the Foundation, securing the programme’s long-term sustainability.
A high-powered Steering Committee chaired by the Emir of Lafia, Justice Sidi Dauda Bage, will oversee implementation.
This intervention joins a long list of Dangote Foundation investments, from the N15 billion upgrade of Aliko Dangote University to the N500 million annual support for the Maiduguri School for Orphan Girls.
SHETTIMA: “A POPULATION BECOMES A LIABILITY ONLY WHEN IT IS UNEDUCATED”
Vice President Kashim Shettima, electrifying the audience with a fiery speech, praised Dangote’s vision:
> “This is the single largest private-sector education support in Nigeria’s history. This is nation-building in its purest form.”
He warned that Nigeria’s demographic explosion could become a ticking time bomb without massive educational investment:
> “A population becomes a liability only when it is uneducated.”
Shettima hailed Dangote for setting a standard other patriots must learn from.
TINUBU’S GOVERNMENT, STATE GOVERNORS, TRADITIONAL RULERS LINE UP TO APPLAUD
Education Minister Tunji Alausa called the effort “pure human-capital engineering.”
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu spoke for all 36 governors, pledging total support.
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, said Dangote’s legacy has now entered “a new realm of national transformation.”
A BOLD PROMISE TO NIGERIA’S YOUNG PEOPLE
In the most emotional moment of the event, Dangote looked directly into the cameras and addressed millions of Nigerian youths:
> “Your dreams matter. Your future matters. We believe in you. We are investing in you. You will not walk this journey alone.”
A TITANIC SHIFT IN NIGERIA’S FUTURE
With over N1 trillion projected investment in a decade, experts say this initiative could become the most consequential private-sector intervention in Nigeria’s education system — a turning point for a nation once held hostage by out-of-school statistics.
Dangote has thrown down the gauntlet.A new race for Nigeria’s future has begun.
