Governor Nasir El Rufai has unveiled the fourth cohort of Kashim Ibrahim Fellows, comprising 24 fellows, which he described as the most diverse of the programme which began three years ago.
The third set of fellows are expected to graduate in July 2021, following which the fourth cohort will resume for their one-year programme in August 2021.
The governor said that the fellowship was initiated by the Kaduna State Government to help develop leadership capacity and public service orientation in young people.
He said that while the first three sets had 16 fellows each, 24 persons have been selected for the fourth cohort to help widen the pool of young persons that the programme can nurture.
El-Rufai disclosed that the fellows have been selected after a rigorous selection process that is based on merit, adding that the 24 Fellows represent a diverse mix, coming from 16 states of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory.
Speaking at the unveiling ceremony on Monday, the governor said that “he distribution is 50:50 male and female. This is evidence that merit is not the enemy of diversity and gender equity.”
El-Rufai reiterated that Kaduna State Government believes in investing young people by creating platforms and opportunities for them.
“We have appointed many young persons and given them challenging responsibilities. We are particularly impressed with the commitment and competence of our young women in government,” he added.
The governor pointed out that “just as the appointees in this government come from across Nigeria, we opened up participation in the Kashim Ibrahim Fellowship to all Nigerian youths, with the hope to open to all Africans and the Diaspora.”
“The Kashim Ibrahim Fellowship is fulfilling our aspirations as a platform for building leadership capacity and public service orientation in our young people.
El- Rufai thanked members of the governing board for an excellent job in running the Kashim Ibrahim Fellowship, adding that “Dele Olojede, Orode Doherty and Asue Ighodalo have been excellent cheerleaders for the fellowship.”
