Beyond the Money: Why Rite Foods’ Academic Excellence Award Matters for Nigeria’s Future

When Rite Foods rewarded seven outstanding matriculating students from Nigerian public universities with N5 million each on Tuesday, 30 June 2026, the leading consumer packaged goods company did more than reward academic excellence; it made a significant investment in the country’s future.

Beyond that, Rite Foods sent out a simple but clear and powerful message to millions of young Nigerians: “Excellence matters, hard work pays, and outstanding achievement deserves recognition.”

For long, it has seemed that academic excellence has been relegated to the background. While participants in less edifying contests cart home millions of naira in prizes, those who excel in subject-based or other academic competitions get only handshakes, fuelling the notion that education is a scam.

The Rite Foods National Academic Excellence Awards, organised in partnership with the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), is setting the records straight. The award is making it clear that as Nigeria seeks to develop the skilled workforce needed to drive economic growth and innovation, investments in education remain among the country’s most effective social development strategies.

A Transparent Selection Process

The award was organised to promote academic excellence and merit-based achievement. So, rather than focus on just one examination score, it celebrated outstanding students who demonstrated consistent academic excellence throughout the 2025/2026 university admission process.

Managing Director of Rite Foods, Saleem Adegunwa, said the award recipients were selected through a transparent process coordinated by JAMB to ensure fairness and credibility. The process involved a comprehensive assessment of the students’ performances in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE), and post-UTME or other admission screening exercises conducted by their respective institutions.

Buttressing this point, the Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, said focusing on matriculated students was more meaningful as many candidates record high UTME scores but fail to gain admission due to deficiencies in their SSCE results or other admission requirements.

The Award Recipients 

Each of the beneficiaries of the maiden Rite Foods Academic Excellence Award comes one of Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, plus the addition of a representative of the JAMB Equal Opportunity Group for persons with disabilities.

The awards were given to Okeke Christian, a student of Mechanical Engineering in the University of Lagos, who emerged the overall best; Orzekor Godwin, a Software Engineering student of the Federal University of Technology, Minna; Vincent Daniel, who is studying Medicine and Surgery at the University of Maiduguri; and Luka Miendwas, a Software Engineering student at the Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia.

Others are Joshua Chidiebere, studying Software Engineering at the Federal University of Technology, Owerri; James Victor, a Medicine and Surgery student at the University of Uyo;  and Ogunsua-Dixon Tijesuni, a Mass Communication student at the University of Lagos.

More Than Just Monetary Reward

The impact of the Rite Foods Academic Excellence Award extends far beyond money or the seven beneficiary students and their immediate families. At its core, the initiative is an investment in human capital, long recognised as one of the most important drivers of long-term national development.

At the individual and family level, with many families struggling with rising education costs and financial uncertainty often truncating young people’s academic dreams, the financial award helps to ease the burden of tuition, accommodation, books, research materials and other educational expenses for the recipient students, making it easier for them to focus more fully on their studies rather than survival. And with the burden eased off the shoulders of parents or guardians, resources are freed up that can be ploughed into other family needs.

Beyond the money, Rite Foods also offerred mentorship and internship opportunities to the award recipients, ensuring a long-term relationship and an avenue for the students to gain industry experience throughout their study period.

Viewed more broadly, the initiative positions itself as a significant contributor to developing the skilled workforce that Nigeria needs to drive economic growth, improve healthcare, advance technological innovation, strengthen infrastructure, and build a knowledge-based economy. As Abegunwa said in his address, no nation can rise above the quality of its human capital, and no economy can achieve sustainable growth without investing in the education and empowerment of its youth. 

The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, who was represented by his aide, Dr Ismaila Adiatu, also touched on this point when he urged the beneficiaries to be innovators, researchers, scientists and entrepreneurs needed to solve the problems of the nation

At another level, the public recognition of these outstanding students serves as an inspiration to younger students to strive for academic distinction. These beneficiaries become positive role models for younger students, thus motivating healthy competition and encouraging schools, parents and communities to place greater value on learning. The presence of students from secondary schools around Lagos at the award ceremony further accentuates this point.

Importantly, the initiative encourages equal opportunities and inclusive excellence. By including a representative from JAMB’s Equal Opportunity Group for persons with disabilities, the award demonstrates that academic excellence is not confined by physical ability. Physical disability should not deprive a talented student of opportunities for recognition and support.

Responsible Corporate Citizenship

Rite Foods through the Academic Excellence Award has shown itself as a responsible corporate citizen contributing to solving the needs of the society where it operates. By partnering with JAMB, the company has demonstrated how the private sector can work with the public sector to contribute meaningfully to national development. Rather than limiting corporate social responsibility to donations or one-off community projects, Rite Foods through this initiative addresses a structural issue that, if sustained, can become a long-term investment in Nigeria’s future workforce.

Looking Ahead

In instituting the Academic Excellence Award, Rite Foods has made a commitment to sustainable investment in education. The company has promised to sustain the award with an annual commitment of at least N35 million. Through the initiative, the company is promoting access to opportunity, supporting educational development, advancing inclusion, investing in youth development, and contributing to building a more skilled and productive society.

As Abegunwa said at the award ceremony, “The beneficiaries of this programme are not simply award recipients; they are symbols of what is possible when talent meets opportunity. They represent the future of Nigeria we all aspire to build.”

Rite Foods has set the pace. Other corporate citizens can borrow a leaf.