Nigeria: Eight year old girl can start school - thanks to ACN award won by her Dad

Angela Yahaya © Tobias Yahaya

Source: ACN

A young Christian girl from Nigeria has started school thanks to an award won by her father and has promised to "pray for all those" who helped realise her dream.

Nearly 19 million children are not at school in Nigeria, according to UN reports, and until now eight-year-old Angela Yahaya was one of them.

Last November her father, Tobias, was the recipient of Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) (UK)'s #RedWednesday Courage to be Christian award, which also changed her life.

As part of the award Tobias received a small grant and he chose to use the money to send his daughter to school for the first time.

Angela told ACN: "I feel proud and happy to be in school. I pray for God's blessings upon those who helped in realising my dream."

Tobias - a father of four, a catechist (Christian teacher) and lay leader - was at home in Sokoto, north-west Nigeria, with his young family one night in April 2023 when he stepped outside to confront men wielding weapons. One of them stabbed him in the chest and when he lunged forward a second time Tobias grabbed him by the wrist seeking to wrestle the knife out of his hand.

Angela witnessed the attack and her mother, Tobias' wife, raised the alarm, which prompted neighbours to rush out and apprehend the man.

Tobias was in intensive care and, after leaving hospital, the case went to court. He received permission from the judge to embrace his would-be killer and he did so with the words "I forgive you".

Tobias's story came to ACN's attention in February 2025 when a delegation from the charity met him during a fact-finding and project assessment trip to northern Nigeria where the charity supports catechists' training and ongoing assistance as well as Christian education books and other materials.

Tobias' eldest daughter Agnes, 11, who he describes as a "truly brilliant human being", was the only one of his children in primary school and has dreams of becoming a doctor.

His two youngest - Ella, six, and Emmanuel, three - are not in education yet.

Tobias said: "My biggest dream is to see my children succeed and be independent. Formal education will certainly achieve that. To have seen her [Angela] in that school uniform is a hope for me that one day my hope will be realised."

According to UNICEF, 18.95 million children in Nigeria are not in school, representing one in every five of the world's out-of-school youngsters. About 10.5 million children in Nigeria aged 5-14 years are not in school.

Only 61 percent of 6 to 11-year-olds regularly attend primary school and only 35.6 percent of children aged three to five receive early childhood education.

In the north of the country, where the Yahaya's live, the picture is even bleaker, with a net attendance rate of 53 percent.

Multiple factors drive the education deprivation in the north, including economic and social barriers, the impact of jihadist insurgency and cultural norms that discourage school attendance, especially for girls.

John Pontifex, ACN (UK)'s head of press and public affairs met Tobias during the charity's visit to Nigeria a year ago and helped organise his UK visit to receive the award.

He said: "It's really wonderful that Angela is now able to fulfil her dream especially against a backdrop of prejudice and disempowerment, particularly for Christian girls. Who would have imagined that the near-fatal attack which Tobias suffered would lead not only to the world learning about his faith and courage but also to a fresh start for his daughter, Angela, in a very challenging climate."

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Aid to the Church in Need: https://acnuk.org