Atiku Abubakar Awards Scholarship to Niger Mining Teen

The Rise Up Naija (RUN) movement commended former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar for providing a scholarship to Yusuf Aliyu, a teenager discovered working at a mining site in Niger. In a statement by spokesperson Usman Okai Austin, the group emphasized the significance of educational opportunities for vulnerable children.

Atiku invited Yusuf and his parents to his residence in Abuja and advocated for measures to protect them from potential intimidation. The movement noted Atiku's concern for both education and the safety of vulnerable individuals.

Additionally, Atiku was scheduled to visit Niger State to offer condolences regarding the incident. The RUN movement expressed concerns about child employment in mining and criticized the government's efforts to identify and prosecute site operators.

They called for transparency from the investigative committee set up by the Federal Government and criticized Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, for the government's handling of the mining sector, highlighting issues of poverty and unemployment contributing to child exploitation.