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Pantami Urges FG to Reward TeenEagle Champion Nafisa Like Super Falcons, D’Tigress

Former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Pantami, has appealed to the Federal Government to honour 17-year-old Nafisa Aminu, who emerged as the top global performer in English Language skills at the 2025 TeenEagle Global Finals.

Taking to his official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Tuesday, Pantami stated that Nafisa’s outstanding global achievement merits the same level of national recognition and reward given recently to Nigeria’s women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, and the Super Falcons, who each received $100,000, a three-bedroom apartment, and a national honour (Officer of the Order of the Niger) from the government.

“I strongly recommend that Nafisa deserves $100,000, a three-bedroom flat, and a national honour from the Federal Government of Nigeria,” Pantami wrote. “In addition, her English teacher deserves a reward similar to what was given to the coaching and technical crew of the victorious football and basketball teams. We must continue to take education very seriously and reward the efforts of our citizens.”

Pantami emphasized that Nafisa's achievement, which saw her outperform over 20,000 participants from 69 countries—including many from native English-speaking nations—demonstrates the enormous untapped potential of Nigerian students. He noted that her success is the result of a combination of natural talent, hard work, discipline, and support from her family and educational institutions.

“There is no doubt that her success can be attributed to her natural talent, dedication, discipline, and the support she received from her parents and the schools she attended,” he stated.

The former minister further urged the Presidency to invite both Nafisa and her English teacher to Aso Rock, as a way of formally recognising and celebrating their contributions to national pride and global excellence.

“Nafisa’s achievement highlights her as a shining example of the potential of Nigerian students to excel globally when provided with the right opportunities and enabling environment. This kind of feat requires more encouragement from the government.

“Let’s invite our daughter and the daughter of all Nigerians, along with her English teacher, to the Presidency. What is good for the goose is good for the gander,” Pantami added.

Nafisa, a student of Nigerian Tulip International College in Yobe State, clinched the top prize at the prestigious TeenEagle competition, a global English language contest that tests participants in areas such as critical reading, grammar, writing, and speaking.

Her win has been widely celebrated on social media as a shining moment for Nigerian education and a reminder of the immense promise among the country’s youth when properly nurtured and recognised.

By Haruna Yakubu Haruna