NNPP chieftain urges FG to reward academic brilliance adequately

A South-West chieftain of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Ambassador Olufemi Ajadi Oguntoyinbo, has urged the Federal Government to always provide adequate rewards for academic brilliance.

He said “the situation where the Federal Government rewards athletes and footballers with huge amounts of money and other incentives, while it gives paltry sums to students who excel in academic competition is unacceptable.”
Ajadi, who was speaking on recent rewards by the Federal Government to the youths who excelled in sports competitions and academic activities, said what was good for sports athletes was also good for those who excelled in academic activities.

Recal that the President recently appreciated members of the country’s female football team, the Super Falcons, that won the Women African Cup of Nations with $100,000 each.
The same amount was awarded to each member of the basketball team that won the AfroBasket ball competition.
In contrast, the Federal Government rewarded Nafisah Abdullahi, winner of the TeenEagle Global Finals competition, with a cash gift of N200,000.
The award was presented by the Minister of education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, at a ceremony in Abuja.

Ajadi, in a statement on Friday, said the Federal Government, through its rewards system, was not encouraging education and brilliance by awarding ridiculous amount for such a great feat.
He called on the Federal Government to always do what it was doing to encourage other sectors like sports in education too.
Ajadi said in the statement: “I want to call on the Federal Government to encourage educational development especially among our youths.

“The recent N200,000 rewards to the Global Winner of an English Competition, Nafisah Abdullahi is demeaning and ridiculous.
“If the Federal Government through its actions is discouraging academic brilliance and the development of education, then the future of the youth is in jeopardy.
“A government that rewarded footballers and basketballers that won African Competition with millions of dollars cannot justify given a paltry sum.to a world winner in an English Competition.

“I think the government should extend its rewards system in other sectors to Education, so that our youth will aspire for brilliance in education.
“It is discouraging especially now that some Youth are already declaring ‘education as a scam,’ due to the way those who win academic laurels are poorly rewarded.
“Let me remind our government that education is the bedrock of any country’s development and so all hands must be on the deck to encourage educational brilliance with adequate rewards.”