Governor Nasir el-Rufai has inaugurated a 15-member new Governing Board of the Kashim Ibrahim Fellowship, a youth leadership capacity building programme that was established in 2018.
A statement issued by Special Adviser on Media and Communication to the Governor, Mr Muyiwa Adekeye on Thursday, said that the board members have held their inaugural meeting by video conference immediately after the inauguration.
The Special Adviser listed “Prof. Clara Ejembi, Ibukun Awosika and Maryam Uwais, as some of the new members of the Governing Board. Also, Ndidi Nwuneli, Lola Shoneyin and Asue Ighodalo are among the list”.
According to him, “the new members have joined some pioneer members who have been reappointed, people like Dele Olojede, Kadaria Ahmed and Hadiza Bala-Usman, including Jimi Lawal, Bilya Bala and Segun Adeniyi as well as Japheth Omojuwa and Muhammad Sani Abdullahi”.
Adekeye said that Pulitzer Prize winner Olojede chairs the board while Public Health consultant, Prof Ladi Ejembi serves as vice-chair and Zainab Mohammed, pioneer Programme Administrator, has been appointed Secretary of the Governing Board.
The statement pointed out that ‘’the pioneer set of 16 young persons, selected from all over Nigeria, resumed in August 2018 and completed the 12-month fellowship in July 2019. The second set of 16 fellows were enrolled the following month and are due to graduate in July 2020. The selection process for the third set of fellows, expected to resume in August 2020, is going according to schedule.
“Governor El-Rufai expressed his profound gratitude to the members of the pioneer Governing Board, chaired by Hakeem Belo-Osagie, which helped to actualise the government’s vision for the Kashim Ibrahim Fellowship and start it off on such a strong footing.
‘’The Governor thanked members of the new board for agreeing to serve, declaring his confidence that they will build on the solid foundations that have been laid,’’ Adekeye added.
