When a private fintech company steps in to do what entire state ministries of education and federal intervention funds have failed to do, we have to stop and ask: Who is really responsible for the future of Nigeria’s youth?
Today, OPay announced a ₦1.2 billion, 10-year scholarship initiative for students of the Federal University of Technology, Minna (FUTMINNA) — a staggering and commendable investment in education by a financial services company. On paper, it’s a corporate social responsibility (CSR) move. In reality, it’s a lifeline. One student at the MoU signing captured it simply: “I had to drop out of school before. Even now, I struggle. This scholarship is a lifeline.”
Let that sink in. A private fintech is the reason a Nigerian student gets to stay in school.
Why Is a Fintech Paying School Fees?
That’s not rhetorical. It’s a real question. We are living in a country where budgetary allocations for education are routinely below international standards. Where students are forced into strikes and shutdowns because lecturers are unpaid. Where bursary programs barely scratch the surface, and state-sponsored scholarships have become more about who you know than what you’ve earned.
So yes, it’s heartwarming to see OPay stepping in. But it’s also damning. Because the implication is this: if fintechs don’t show up, thousands of bright, poor students might fall through the cracks. That’s not a burden startups should be carrying alone.
This Isn’t Just PR — It’s Policy Work in Disguise
It’s easy to dismiss corporate scholarships as PR stunts — until you see the scale and structure of what OPay is doing. This isn’t a one-off cheque or a flashy giveaway. It’s ₦1.2 billion spread across 10 years, tied to a partnership with a federal university, and designed to support students who are truly in need.
OPay has already extended similar support to other institutions, including Kwara State Polytechnic, showing a pattern of deliberate, strategic investment in Nigeria’s youth. This is not CSR for clout. This is policy work in disguise.
Because when a company commits to paying tuition for the long haul, they’re not just helping students — they’re stabilising the academic system, easing pressure on families, and giving room for actual learning to take place.
If that’s not what government should be doing, then what is?
Where Are the Others?
Let’s be clear: OPay didn’t have to do this. Like many Nigerian startups, they could’ve focused solely on product expansion, VC funding, or gaining market share. Instead, they chose to back something that won’t trend on Twitter or appear in investor decks: young Nigerians’ right to education.
So the next question is: where are the rest? Where are the banks? The telcos? The oil companies raking in record profits? Where is the Ministry of Education? The state scholarship boards? The alumni associations with access to power and privilege?
If a fintech born barely a decade ago can make a ₦1.2 billion commitment to education, surely legacy institutions and government agencies can do more than issue press releases and empty promises.
It’s Time to Rethink Who Builds Nigeria
OPay’s move should spark a broader conversation — not just about who gives scholarships, but who actually gets to build the nation. We’ve spent decades waiting on government plans, reforms, and white papers that rarely move beyond committee stages. But here we are in 2025, watching a tech company rewrite the rules of impact.
And maybe that’s the most uncomfortable truth of all: the future of Nigeria might be funded not by budgets, but by bold decisions from companies that choose to care.
But that can’t be sustainable. A country as vast, young, and complex as Nigeria cannot outsource its educational backbone to startups. We need systemic support. We need real investment from the public and private sectors alike. And we need more initiatives like OPay’s — not as exceptions, but as the norm. Because the price of ignoring education is far greater than ₦1.2 billion. It’s a generation lost.
