Sterling Bank Names First Beneficiaries of ₦2B ‘Beyond Education’ Fund

Lagos, Nigeria – August 7, 2025 – Sterling Bank, Nigeria’s leading financial institution, has announced the first recipients of its ₦2 billion Beyond Education Scholarship, a groundbreaking nationwide initiative designed to fund university education for 600 exceptional young Nigerians and connect them to future careers in high-impact sectors.

The announcement reflects a major step in the Bank’s commitment to long-term, inclusive national development through strategic investment in human capital.

At its core, the Beyond Education program is built not just to provide scholarships, but to create real-world pathways to employment and socio-economic mobility.

Launched in June 2025, Beyond Education is Sterling Bank’s most ambitious education-focused intervention to date. The scholarship fully covers undergraduate tuition at two forward-looking, accredited institutions, Miva Open University, Nigeria’s first licensed online private university, and Hillside University of Science & Technology (HUST), a STEM-centered campus in Ekiti State.

Unlike conventional scholarship programs, Beyond Education is intentionally designed to support Nigeria’s critical development agenda. It aligns with Sterling’s HEART strategy, an investment framework focused on Health, Education, Agriculture, Renewable Energy, and Transportation.

The goal is to build a talent pipeline for sectors that are vital to the country’s future.
“This is more than a scholarship. It’s a national development strategy,” said Obinna Ukachukwu, Growth Executive for Consumer and Business Banking at Sterling Bank. “We’re closing the gap between education and employability. Our mission is to prepare young people for the future of work in sectors that matter most to Nigeria’s progress.”

The first 30 scholars were selected through a transparent, community-driven voting process open to Sterling Bank account holders. All nominees were thoroughly vetted to ensure they met admission requirements at the partner universities.

The inaugural winners are:
Abdulahi Afolabi, Damilare Tijani, Abdulwahab Eniafe, Abubakar Isah, Tahir Enesi Ibrahim, Julius Agbene Agbo, Chinedu Kelechi Patrick, Ayomide Ojo, Fyneseed Nwogu, Miracle Woyinmomoemi Daniel, Serene Clinton, Temiloluwa Orekunrin, Udeme Umoh, Victor Esogwa, Rosemary Kosipre, Ali Mohammed, Usman Isiaka Ololade, Kayode Aikulola, Saviour Philip, Ademola Afolabi, Emmanuel Enekwa, Bashir Sani Ibrahim, Ezekiel Adeseye, Deborah Umeaku, Abba Kaka Lawan, Haisam Sunusi Mahmuda, John Gumuan, Afan Ajiji, Bajepade Kehinde, and Chioma Igwe.

While the scholarship covers full tuition, recipients are responsible for associated costs such as internet access, learning materials, and living expenses, a structure designed for sustainability and scale.

To ensure effective rollout, nominations for the next round of candidates will pause until September 2025.

However, voting remains open, and verified nominees are encouraged to continue engaging their communities as the next cohort will be selected in the coming weeks.

With 570 scholarships still to be awarded, Sterling Bank remains committed to expanding access to quality education and helping shape a future-ready workforce for Nigeria.

About Sterling Bank
Sterling Bank is a leading Nigerian financial institution recognized for its innovative HEART strategy, which channels investment into Health, Education, Agriculture, Renewable Energy, and Transportation. The Bank is widely known for its inclusive banking models and purpose-led initiatives that deliver measurable impact. Learn more at www.sterling.ng.

The entire family of Nafisa Abdullah Aminu proudly present her to President Ahmed Bola Tinubu, GCFR, the Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni and the entire Nigerians for recognition after emerging the Best in the world at the UK Global finals 2025 TeenEagle English Language skills Competition recently held at London, UK.

Nafisa, who is just 17 years old, represented Nigeria through the Nigerian Tulip International College, Yobe state, beating 69 countries and 20,000 students that participated , to achieve the enviable position of the World Best in English Language skills.

The Nafisa family is particularly grateful to the Yobe Governor’s efforts in education development that attracted global honour to the nation.

We pray that our daughter would be celebrated and recognised with the National Honours as she made Nigeria proud in achieving significant success in defeating all European native English speakers and other countries.

Hassan Salihu
For the family

HAMZAT URGES STUDENTS TO EMBRACE LEARNING FOR FUTURE SUCCESS

Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, has urged Nigerian students to continually seek knowledge and self-improvement to achieve success in all aspects of life.

The Deputy Governor made this remark at Texem’s 15th Anniversary, Youth Leadership Workshop, with the theme “You are a leader: You Matter, You can,” held on Saturday at Anthony, Lagos.

Hamzat, while admonishing the students who attended the workshop from various schools, emphasized the imperative of hard work and commitments to probity and integrity.

According to Hamzat, “The essence is that no matter what you do, you must keep educating your mind. It doesn’t matter whether you’re from a privileged background or not; if you don’t educate your mind, you will not do well. It’s not a curse. It’s just the way God has designed it. You must educate your mind, you must keep learning.”

Besides, the Deputy Governor was of the view that there are no shortcuts in life to success and that, as students, they will have different ambitions for their futures, but there are etiquettes, there are protocols which must be followed, and they must pursue their goals in line with the above-stated norms.

“In life, success is never served a la carte, but by deliberate actions and focus, and one must work at it”, he added.

While reeling out the different initiatives put in place by the Lagos government, Hamzat said the government focuses on teachers’ capacity building, unlike other states, which focus on elevating schools.

He added that the present administration believes that the better they train the teachers, the more the students will do well, adding that while it is good to elevate schools ( which is fantastic), structural elevation doesn’t teach. But the teachers are the ones who actually do the teaching and impart the knowledge.

Hamzat further advised the students to shun the temptation of ethnic or tribal bigotry, by seeing every other person as a Nigerian irrespective of the tribe or religion. “So relating to people as Nigerians should not be based on tribe or even religion. We have gotten to a stage in our country where we’ve allowed tribe and religion to divide us, instead of cementing us as an indivisible entity”.

Earlier in his welcome and opening address, the Founder, Texem UK, Dr. Alim Abubakre stated that the workshop is about those who will raise the bar in the areas of legacy and impact and in the areas of transforming society.

“This workshop is about you, and it’s designed to help the students discover the inherent leadership in you”, he said. advised the students to strive to be impactful in life, that they only need audacity and to believe in themselves