Zainab was in JSS3 when her father lost his job at a textile factory. Her mother sold beans and grains at the market. There were five children in school and money for three. Zainab, the eldest girl, was the one expected to stop.
Her maths teacher had other ideas. He brought a Bright Futures form to the house, sat with her mother for an hour and helped Zainab write the essay. She scored 81 in the aptitude test, the highest in her group.
Three years of fees, paid before term
From SS1 the bursary paid her fees straight to the school at the start of every term, along with books, two uniforms and, in SS3, her final exam fees. Her mother kept the market money for food and the younger children.
The first term I had no fees letter in my bag, I came top of my class. I did not know how heavy that letter was until it was gone.
On Saturdays she went to the science clinic in Barnawa, where university students who were once scholars themselves ran practice sessions in maths and chemistry. It was there she decided on chemistry.
The jump to university
In 2025 she won the undergraduate merit award. It pays her tuition and hostel fees, a monthly allowance of ₦15,000 and lends her a laptop. Her mentor, an example chemist at a water treatment plant, calls her twice a month.
- First semester CGPA: 4.31 out of 5.0
- Lab report she is proudest of: water hardness in three Kaduna boreholes
- Next goal: a summer placement in a water lab
What she says to younger girls
Zainab now runs a Saturday session of her own once a month. Her advice is short: apply early, ask your teacher for the letter in good time and write the essay the way you talk. Spelling does not count. What you want does.
