Vice-President Kashim Shettima has praised the American University of Nigeria (AUN) for graduating 12 young women from Chibok, describing their achievement as a testament to education's power to restore and counter extremism. His remarks were delivered by the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad Said, at AUN's 17th commencement ceremony in Yola, Adamawa State. Shettima said he was unable to attend due to official duties but wanted the graduates to know of his personal pride in their accomplishment. He emphasized that AUN did not treat the Chibok scholars as charity cases but held them to the same academic standards as all other students.
The vice-president referred to the 2014 abduction of the Chibok girls as a national trauma, stating that the sight of the women graduating in academic regalia represented quiet healing achieved through sustained effort. He called AUN a model of values-driven, African-rooted education and acknowledged the institution's founders, board, faculty and management for sustaining its vision. Shettima urged Nigerian universities to study AUN's Chibok Scholarship Programme as a proof of concept for using education as a security strategy.
He outlined elements of President Bola Tinubu's education renewal agenda, including the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI), aimed at improving learning outcomes, accountability and access. He also referenced the National EdTech Strategy, developed with the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, which integrates technology and artificial intelligence into the core of education planning. Shettima pointed to a growing technology talent gap in Nigeria, citing a recent case where a fintech executive could not fill hundreds of technical roles locally.
He attributed the gap to weak alignment between universities and industry, noting that while graduates are produced in large numbers, their skills often do not match market needs. Shettima called on AUN to expand its industry partnership model to create real-time curriculum adjustments based on tech and fintech sector demands. He pledged the Ministry of Education's support in scaling such collaborations. Addressing the Class of 2026, he said their education came at a cost and urged them to serve Nigeria by solving problems in public service, health, agriculture and policy. "Be that kind of Nigerian," he said.
Shettima celebrates AUN for holding Chibok graduates to the same standards as others, yet his administration continues to fund public universities that lack basic infrastructure and industry alignment. The 12 women's success exposes a national contradiction: excellence is possible when resources and focus are applied, but most Nigerian students receive neither. If education is now a security strategy, then the rest of the system is underfunded and under threat. The graduates' futures are secured, but millions of others remain at risk of being left behind.
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