From Salim Umar Ibrahim, Kano
Kano State’s basketball team has won gold and bronze medals in boys and girls’ categories at the 2025 AGILE Games held in Abuja.
The men’s basketball team performed better as they finished tops to win gold ahead of Plateau and Ekiti states.
Equally, Fatima Nafiuddeen Marafa and Aisha Ismail Zubairu took home gold honours for their work in digital literacy and content creation.
Among the standout stories was that of the Kano State volleyball team. Though their opening match ended in defeat, the team rallied, finishing second in their group.
In the first round, team Kano (volleyball boys) defeated team Katsina 25:19 and defeated them again in the second round with 25:10. Kano 25 vs Katsina 19 to finish second overall to win silver.
In a vibrant celebration of young talent and achievement, the AGILE Games Awards on Tuesday May 27 honoured outstanding students from across Nigeria at the State House in Abuja.
The event, held as part of the Children’s Day festivities, recognised excellence in both sports and the arts.
Addressing children, dignitaries, and education leaders at the award ceremony at the State House, the First Lady of Nigeria, Oluremi Tinubu, described Nigerian children as “the heartbeat of the nation.”
She urged the children: “Keep learning, keep creating and know that your potential to make a real difference in Nigeria is limitless.”
While congratulating all Nigerian children, she highlighted the importance of the World Bank-funded AGILE project, which aims to eradicate out-of-school children and keep girls in school. “Every child represented here today has demonstrated what is possible when opportunity meets support,” she said. “You all have shown us that the good seeds planted are already bearing fruit,” she said.
Minister for Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, described the initiative as a milestone, saying: “It is our view in the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration that education is not just a human right. It is a national security imperative. This is why every textbook is a child in the foundation of peace and prosperity. Every school lunch is an act of social justice. And every trained teacher is a guardian of education.”
He described AGILE as “the most impactful initiative to improve their education in the history of our country.”
World Bank Country Director, Mr Taimur Samad, noted that AGILE is the organisation’s second-largest project in Nigeria. “With two-thirds of girls who start schooling dropping out before they finish in Nigeria, AGILE is working on changing this narrative. We hope to support 50 million students,” he said.
The Commissioner of Education Dr Gwani Ali Haruna Makoda commended the AGILE contingent for being good ambassadors of Kano state at the national competition.
He said the Kano State government attached priority attention to girls’ education in the state, hence the introduction of different programmes and policies to breach gender disparity in the education sector.
The Kano State AGILE Project Coordinator Malam Mujittapha Aminu described the Kano’s feat in content creation as a manifestation of good results of AGILE digital literacy in intervention in schools.
“We’re proud to be part of this. This platform gives our students a chance to shine. It’s more than just games—it’s a movement.
“We have seven different student groups here. It’s about connection—building friendships and networks that might shape future collaborations,” Mr Aminu said.
The Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) Project is a flagship programme of the federal government of Nigeria supported by the World Bank.
