SOKOTO, Nigeria — May 29, 2025
In a bold move to nurture financially responsible youth and curb the growing wave of financial recklessness, the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) has launched a sweeping campaign to promote savings culture and financial discipline among secondary school students in Sokoto State.
The campaign took centre stage on Thursday at Government Day Secondary School, Kalambaina, during a special financial literacy training programme that drew students from various schools across the state.
Bello Usman-Kaoje, the NDIC Zonal Controller in Sokoto, led the charge, stressing that the event was part of NDIC’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy, timed to commemorate 2025 Financial Literacy Day. This year’s theme? “Think Before You Follow – Spend Money Wisely Tomorrow.”
According to Usman-Kaoje, “We’re planting the seed early—teaching these students to value money, plan their expenses, and think long-term. They are the future of our economy.”
The initiative aims to tackle the rising trend of impulsive spending, get-rich-quick traps, and growing digital fraud among Nigerian youths. Students were warned of online scammers and PoS fraudsters who often prey on the uninformed.
“This generation is exposed to more financial temptations than ever before,” Usman-Kaoje warned. “If we don’t educate them now, we’ll be dealing with a national crisis tomorrow.”
Adding to the conversation, Mr. Abubakar Usman from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Sokoto Branch, emphasized the importance of using regulated financial institutions. He reassured students that “savings in licensed commercial and microfinance banks are protected and promote safe transactions.”
Taking it a step further, Aliyu Omama, Deputy Commander of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Sokoto, linked poor financial decisions to drug abuse. He painted a stark picture of how peer pressure and a need for fast cash often push students into harmful vices with lifelong consequences.
Representing school principals across the state, Hajiya Mansura Abdulsalam praised the initiative as both timely and transformative. “Our students now understand that financial wisdom is not just for adults. It begins now,” she said.
The one-day event featured expert-led lectures, interactive sessions, and practical discussions on budgeting, saving, investment, and fraud detection. Students were encouraged to share ideas, ask questions, and reflect on their own money habits.
In a country battling youth unemployment, financial scams, and a culture of instant gratification, programmes like these are more than educational—they’re essential. NDIC’s grassroots push for literacy is a quiet revolution, one that could reshape Nigeria’s economic future from the classroom up.
The message is loud and clear: “Think before you follow. Spend wisely. Save often.”
The NDIC, CBN, and allied agencies are not just preaching to students—they’re building a generation of financially smart citizens.
Stay tuned for more updates as the NDIC expands this campaign across other states.
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