By Felix Khanoba
The Federal Government has expressed pride in the 12 Chibok girls who graduated from the American University of Nigeria (AUN), Yola, alongside other members of the institution’s Class of 2026.
The government also assured the graduates that its commitment to their future extends beyond funding their university education, pledging continued support to help them realise their full potential.
Vice President Kashim Shettima gave the assurance on Saturday during the 17th Commencement Ceremony of American University of Nigeria, where the 12 beneficiaries of the Federal Government scholarship programme received their degrees.
The Chibok girls are among the 106 former abductees sponsored by the Federal Government through higher education.
In 2014, over 200 schoolgirls were kidnapped from a secondary school in Chibok, Borno State, by insurgents. While many have since regained freedom, several others are still believed to be in captivity more than a decade later.
Addressing the graduates through the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu, Shettima said: “Your country sees you. Your country is proud of you. Your country has not finished its obligations towards you.”
He praised the university management for providing the girls with an enabling academic environment and emotional support.
He said,” This is more than an educational effort; it is a declaration that no young woman’s life should be permanently defined by the violence or hardship of her past.”
The Vice President also challenged the graduating class to contribute meaningfully to national development, noting that the country expects leadership, innovation and commitment from them.
“Your families made sacrifices to support your education. Your country has invested resources, time, and hope in your future. That investment must be repaid through service, innovation, leadership, and commitment to national progress,” he said.
“Nigeria needs graduates who are willing to engage with the country’s challenges honestly and courageously, in technology, agriculture, research, policy, and development. Your country needs you.”
Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of AUN, DeWayne Frazier, described the graduating students as transformative leaders prepared to make meaningful contributions to society.
Reflecting on the graduation of the Chibok girls, he said: “this graduation is far more than the completion of a degree. It is a sacred moment of triumph over fear, resilience over trauma, and hope over everything that once tried to silence their future.”
He added that “when they cross that stage, they will carry with them not only their own dreams, but the prayers of families, communities, Nigeria, and people around the world who believed that their story must not end in captivity, pain, or loss.”
“Their graduation is a living testimony that education is still one of the most powerful forces on earth which says to every young girl that her life has value, her mind has power, and her future can still be reclaimed,” Frazier said.
The Vice Chancellor, visibly emotional during the ceremony, said the occasion symbolised healing, courage and hope.
“To see them stand tall, receive their degrees, and step into the world as graduates of the American University of Nigeria will remind all of us why we do this work. Their courage will bless that stage, and their achievement will forever be part of AUN’s story. For many years, our cry was “Bring Back Our Girls,” but today, we sent our “girls” forward.”
Delivering the commencement lecture, award-winning journalist Stephanie Busari urged the graduates, particularly the Chibok girls, to see their certificates as symbols of strength and empowerment.
She said: “To the 12 other girls, you were taken from your hostel in the middle of the night by men who believed that your education was a threat worth eliminating. They understood that education has power. What they failed to understand is that once that power takes root, in the present, it cannot be removed by force.”
Busari, whose 2015 exclusive proof-of-life interview with some of the abducted Chibok girls helped intensify negotiations for their release, encouraged the graduates to shape the future with courage.
She further said, “You are not merely survivors of a story. You are authors of what comes next, and what you do from here will matter. Not only for yourselves, but for other young girls who are watching to see what is possible.”
“Among the 12 young women who were told that their story was over, sitting here, alongside every one of you who made your own quiet decision to keep going. Class of 2026, that part belongs to you now. Go ahead and live it forward.
Busari also commended the resilience shown by the graduating students, saying each of them had overcome personal challenges on their journey to success.
“Every person in this room today has had to push through something. The circumstances may be different, but the effort is real,” she said.
To the graduating class, she added: “Your journeys may not be the same, but you made the same decision. To stay and push through and to finish, more importantly. You shared a way of thinking and of approaching difficulty.”
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