Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has reiterated her commitment to expanding scholarship opportunities for young Nigerians, aiming to provide them with greater access to education and better life prospects.
She made this known while receiving a delegation from the MERCK Foundation, a philanthropic organisation based in Germany, during their visit to the State House in Abuja.
Mrs Tinubu acknowledged the Foundation’s ongoing contributions to Nigeria’s health and education sectors and stressed that education remains a central focus of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
“I appreciate your impact in Africa and I will work for you, I feel honoured by your visit. I believe once you have an educated population, the country will grow in bounds. I believe It will be such a disaster to hand over the future to an uneducated generation,” she stated.
The First Lady also shared some initiatives under her Renewed Hope Initiative, particularly in the education sector, emphasising that an educated population is vital to the nation’s growth and development.
She further expressed appreciation to the MERCK Foundation for providing scholarships to Nigerian students, particularly in the field of medicine, with a focus on reproductive and fertility health. According to her, infertility and the stigma surrounding it remain significant issues across Africa.
In recognition of her advocacy for women, girls, and education, the Chairman of the MERCK Foundation, Professor Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, announced Mrs Tinubu’s appointment as the Ambassador of the “More Than A Mother” campaign. He praised her dedication to empowerment efforts and invited her to collaborate further with the Foundation to advance its goals, particularly in supporting women across Africa.
“Nigeria is a very important country, the MERCK Foundation was set up in 2012 when I was still a chairman of a commercial organisation. Due to my love for Africa, we set up the organisation in order to give back to society, the idea with the main focus on women.
“It gives young girls the opportunity to have a better life, to overcome the stigma of not having children,” he said.
The MERCK Foundation’s scholarships target African nationals and underserved communities, often facilitated through the offices of First Ladies in the beneficiary nations.