Education
Netizens Slam FG’s ₦200,000 Reward for TeenEagle Champion Nafisah Abdullahi
The Federal Government’s ₦200,000 reward to Nafisah Abdullahi, winner of the 2025 TeenEagle Global English Competition, has sparked a wave of mixed reactions on X (formerly Twitter), where netizens debated whether the gesture truly reflects the magnitude of her success.
At a ceremony in Abuja, the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, described Nafisah as “a beacon of excellence and inspiration to Nigerian youths.” He stressed that the prize symbolized the government’s commitment to promoting education and human capital development.
But in a post shared on X by Nigeria Stories, Nigerians expressed disappointment, saying the cash prize was too little considering Nafisah’s feat of outshining 20,000 participants from 69 countries, including native English-speaking nations.
One user, @otakerioghenero, wrote, “Why not give her the money you used to organise these ceremonies… All these set of people for 200k picture. God abeg oo.”
@Praiseighile mocked the amount, asking, “200k keh. Is it for eba?”
Another user, @TrulyDearest_, compared the reward to everyday expenses:
“What will N200k do for her under Tinubu administration? It cannot even pay for one-way flight with Air Peace.”
Others questioned the value placed on education. @Biggyyoms commented, “You mean all these grammar for 200k, shame dey cry.”
@IamTheGoldenGuy was more scathing, “200k! Is it for garri or groundnut? Leaders don’t know the value of education other than pay lip service to it.”
Some, however, welcomed the gesture. @Olamiiiideee wrote, “This is a good thing to do.”
Meanwhile, @chinexo28 argued: “This is a wonderful development. English is not our language; it’s a borrowed language so it’s not important.”
Despite the backlash, Nafisah has also been awarded fully-funded scholarships by the Atiku Foundation, alongside recognition from various education bodies.
