The month of August 2025 was ‘augustly’ for Nigeria. The nation was dignified by three female teens from Yobe state. They emerged global best in different categories at the TeenEagle Global finals competition in London.
TeenEagle is a resource-based English language competition which seeks to promote purity and proficiency in the use of English among nations through highly competitive engagements of teenagers. In this year’s finals, three Nigerian teenagers mounted the dais and were garlanded in plumage of excellence.
Step forth for your flowers: 17-year-old Nafisa Abdullahi Aminu; 15-year-old Rukayya Muhammad Fema; and Hadiza Kashim Kalli, all students of the Nigerian Tulip International College (NTIC), a Turkish school located in Mamudo, Potiskum LGA of Yobe State.
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They were crowned World Champions in English language communication skills and debate. While Nafisa was named the Overall Best in English language skills, Rukayya emerged as the Overall Best in debate. Hadiza picked the gold medal as winner in the Outstanding Talent Award.
Let’s get it. This is not a run of the mill competition. Neither cheap nor second-rate. It’s a competition for masterminds, literary whizzes. Simply put, a feast for fecund teens. This year’s finals took place from July 27th to August 3rd at the University of Surrey, United Kingdom.
Details provided by TeenEagle organsers said over 20,000 students from 69 countries participated in the competition which essentially tested both receptive skills (reading and listening) and productive skills (writing and speaking) abilities of the teenagers. And it was no 100-metre dash, but a marathon that started from an online stage which ushered them into participating at the global stage. Eight students were said to have represented Nigeria: five from NTIC Abuja and three from NTIC Yobe.
This at best shows the import and value of the competition and what it means for students from a nation where English is profoundly a second language. The performance of the girls speaks to the diligence of their teachers, the high standard of their school and the effectiveness of internationalisation of education. NTIC is owned by First Surat Group, a contingent of Turkish entrepreneurs and technocrats in Nigeria. Their interests extend beyond education. They are into healthcare delivery and tourism, among others. The school and its teachers deserve laudation for moulding geniuses out of Nigeria. Coming tops in an assembly of thousands of teens from 69 countries is not only a feat worth the festoons, it is a genuine positive perception makeover for Nigeria. It is the best global PR for Nigeria this season.
The excellent performance of the girls was only a manifestation of the behind-the-scene contribution of Yobe governor, Mai Mala Buni. In 2024, Buni approved scholarship worth over N2.225 billion for 890 NTIC students from the state. The scholarship runs for a period of six years, from JS1 through JS3 to SS3. That was only part of wholesale reforms in the state’s education sector embarked upon by Governor Buni, a man often, and rightly, described as a silent achiever. He attracts no attention to himself. He does not beat the drums to herald his arrival. No special media coverage attends the commissioning of his many projects. His works simply speak for him. In agriculture, transportation, commerce, healthcare, rural development, infrastructure and others, Buni stuns with his rare quiet strength and visionary acuity.
In education, he has been intentionally futuristic and digitally-minded. He provides the kind of leadership that Nigeria needs now: strong emphasis of quality education, affordable and accessible healthcare and a boost in public-private participation in the agriculture value chain.
Yobe, like some other states in the north had been under the weight of insurgency. This had reduced school enrolment and shrank the education space, presenting limited opportunities for young Yobe indigenes to pursue their quest for knowledge. To fill the gap, Buni wore the garb of an intentional leader. He launched the Recovery Through Education and Scholarships (RETES) scheme, a smart knowledge-driven initiative which seeks to use education as a tool for recovery and advancement. RETES was conceived and is being implemented to create a brighter future for the state by empowering and equipping students with global competitive skills in core areas of human development. The superlative triumph of the three Yobe teens is a by-product of the RETES scheme.
The RETES also includes granting of foreign scholarships, professional mandatory certification scholarship, tertiary institutions teacher training scheme, and French and Arabic mandatory graduate courses which puts Yobe students ahead of the crowd as it turns them to polyglots, showing mastery of more languages than their counterparts from other states.
In January 2021, under the foreign scholarship initiative, 233 students were sent to top universities in India to study various courses, including medical sciences like pharmacy, nursing, radiology, and physiotherapy. Some went to study engineering courses, ICT, agriculture and other courses. A good 189 of these students have graduated, many of them with stunning grades. The governor recently hosted 171 of these graduates at a homecoming event in Government House, Damaturu.
The rate of return to Nigeria after the programme has been attributed to the confidence of the beneficiaries in the vision of the governor. Buni is gradually recalibrating the knowledge barometer in Yobe State, creating the right ergonomics that make learning both easy and impactful. He has been partnering with the private sector to lift the quality of education in his state. The net result is the success story of the Yobe teens. It also reflects in the overall performance of the state in WAEC and NECO examinations.
To further give insight into the competitiveness of the competition, TeenEagle management put out a message that best describes both the context and essence of the competition. The message reads: “Our English-language competitions are open worldwide, fostering collaboration, diversity, and creativity. Accredited and certified by the National Open College Network (NOCN), TeenEagle offers more than just prizes; it equips participants with invaluable skills for real-world scenarios on an international scale. We build partnerships with teachers, schools, and academic institutions, providing unique opportunities for professional development and global recognition. ”
That global recognition has come to Nigeria through the three Yobe queens. And it’s thanks to Buni, a governor whose strength is in his humility, simplicity and intentional futuristic actions.
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