Thirteen young Nigerians drawn from all six geopolitical zones have graduated from the inaugural cohort of the Athena-Anchoria Junior Fellows Programme, a six-month leadership and public policy initiative organised by the Athena Centre for Policy and Leadership.
The graduation ceremony in Abuja also marked the launch of Though Tribe and Tongue May Differ: Young Nigerians on Belonging, Equal Citizenship and the Work of Nation-Building, an anthology published by Athena Press featuring civic essays written by all 13 graduates.
Part-funded by the Anchoria Group, the programme brought together participants from 11 states, 11 academic disciplines, and different universities across the country.
Fellows underwent six months of virtual learning and mentorship supported by monthly stipends, followed by a one-week residential session, and were each equipped with a new HP laptop for research and writing.
Speaking at the event, Founder and Chancellor of the Athena Centre, Osita Chidoka, said the fellowship was designed to build human capacity capable of strengthening public institutions and bridging national divides.
“We cannot continue to demand better institutions without deliberately investing in the people who will lead them,” Chidoka said. “Institutions do not build themselves. People build them.”
He explained that bringing together young Nigerians from diverse regions and backgrounds to work as a single cohort was intentional, adding that the newly published book inaugurates an annual series titled The Republic We Are Building, which will test the ideals of the National Anthem, National Pledge, and Chapter II of the Constitution against lived national realities.
During the fellowship, participants received instruction in governance, public policy, and financial literacy from practitioners including BudgIT co-founder Seun Onigbinde, Dr Sam Amadi, and Dr Dakuku Peterside.
The cohort also engaged with Nextier Founding Partner Patrick Okigbo on policy advisory careers, and was received by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, who extended an invitation to one of the Fellows to participate in the forthcoming Ministerial Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance.
Ezekiel Adebisi, who emerged as the Overall Best Fellow, delivered the valedictory address, urging his peers to enter public institutions with integrity and analytical rigour.
“Resist the temptation to confuse proximity to power with the capacity to influence change,” Adebisi told the graduating class. “We came to learn how institutions shape nations. We leave committed to shaping institutions that serve nations.”
Alongside Adebisi, the graduating cohort comprises Augustina Enuwa Abakpa, Rashida Bafashi Abubakar, Yahaya Abubakar, Afodun Muhammad Saheed, Adaobi Ayogu, Kosisochukwu Praise Bosah, Enegbuma Angelica Onagiekhuwemhe, Haruna Hassan Suleiman, Mohammed Baba Kale, Daniel Nnamani, Eunice Olasunkanmi, and Shedrack Owen.
The Athena Centre confirmed that applications and arrangements for subsequent cohorts of the Junior Fellows Programme will continue.
