Oluremi Tinubu fulfils N10m pledge to 12-year-old Ogun artist

Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has fulfilled her ₦10 million education pledge to 12-year-old Ogun State artist, Master Morenikeji Ebunoluwa Joshua, less than a month after being impressed by his artistic talent.

The ₦10 million Education Development Trust Fund, presented to Joshua through the Ogun State Government, is to support his education through the tertiary level.

The First Lady had announced the pledge on August 18 after spotting Joshua displaying a portrait he had painted of her at the launch of the South-West Zonal National Food Bank Programme at the Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta.

Impressed by the quality of his work, Senator Tinubu invited the young artist to the podium and immediately pledged ₦10 million towards his future education.

Presenting the cheque on behalf of the First Lady, Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, described the fulfilment of the pledge as a demonstration that “a promise made is a promise kept.”

Abiodun said the gesture went beyond the financial value of the donation, describing it as an investment in a young Nigerian whose talent had been identified and encouraged.

Earlier, the Senior Special Assistant to the First Lady on Strategy, Hon. Wahab Alawiye-King, who handed over the cheque to Governor Abiodun, said Joshua’s story underscored the need for education to recognise and nurture different forms of talent.

He explained that education was not limited to academic performance but encompassed the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains, covering intellectual development, values and emotions, as well as practical skills.