Even though he is academically sound, the reality that one day, Uchenna Emelife would eventually study in Europe’s best universities feels distant due to lack of guidance and support. Uchenna once saw scholarship applications as an impossible hurdle. “I didn’t know where to start. Competing against the best all over the world was very demanding,” he said.
For many Nigerian students, the hope of studying or working abroad often remains flicked by uncertainty and systemic barriers. Nigeria’s rapidly depreciating currency and soaring tuition fees mean costs have more than tripled in recent years, making international study a distant prospect for most. On top of this, visa restrictions and unfamiliar application processes often leave hopeful candidates stranded before they even begin.
A national trend also reflects this challenge. While Nigerians are widely known for their high mobility in seeking education abroad, fewer than 0.5% of applicants for major competitive global scholarships such as Erasmus Mundus secure funding. A 2024 Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) briefly noted that the reasons are the weak applications or lack of awareness of open calls.
But Who is Providing Response?
In 2021, two lecturers at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto: Professor Jimoh Olaiya Amzat of Sociology and Dr. Kazeem Aremu of Mathematics decided to bridge that gap. Out of their commitment to give back to the society, they launched Greenline Nurture Initiative, the university’s first structured mentorship programme for international scholarships.
The initiative, prides itself as a platform for grooming and nurturing young minds aspiring for greater heights is, “our way of giving back to the society,” said Dr. Kazeem.
“‘Greenline’ represents our patriotic commitment to the development of Nigerian youths into reputable ambassadors of Africa,” he explains, ‘Nurture’, on the other hand, captures the mission of the initiative to groom young people to maximise their potential, support them in their academic pursuits and mentor them on the navigation of international academic exploits, like scholarships, fellowships and more.”
The Initiative started the first cohort in January 2022 and beyond the Usmanu Danfodiyo University’s community, GNI has extended the application for this mentorship program to other universities across Nigeria and Africa, training them on how to put in successful applications for global opportunities.
To achieve this, the initiative stretches its mentorship program plans for six months, mentoring the students virtually every Saturday of the week on how: Searching For Scholarship in North America, Europe, Africa; Statement of Purpose; How to Craft a Europass CV; Research Proposal and host of other things.
The initiative has recorded significant impacts. In just four years, it has trained 300 students in UDUS and other Nigeria universities with step-by-step process on how to secure international scholarships. Also, with 5 Mentees – about 1.6% of participants have secured fully funded awards including Erasmus Mundus and other prestigious programmes. Several others have gained internships opportunities.
Uchenna, once unsure how to even start an application, is now an Erasmus Mundus scholar, a fully funded scholarship to study for two years in Europe, thanks to a groundbreaking programme organized by the Greenline Nurture Initiative (GNI) – a lecturers’ Initiative.
More Mentees…
Another mentee from the 3rd cohort, Abdulrasheed Kayode Ayuba, a final-year student at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto’s Department of Science and Vocational Education and a GNI ambassador, also expressed his delight at passing through the initiative’s mentorship programme.
“I am delighted with what our mentors, Dr Kazeem Aremu and Prof Jimoh Olaiya Amzat, have accomplished with the university’s first-ever mentorship program, Greenline Nurture Initiative (GNI) and I am glad to be a part of it. I gained a lot of knowledge through the GNI Mentorship Program’s First Cohort. I learnt about available local and global opportunities and how to take advantage of them by applying for jobs, internships and scholarships,” he revealed.
“I got to know how to write a strong statement of purpose (SOP), a standard curriculum vitae (CV), research proposals, how to ace job and scholarship interviews and how to source for local and international scholarships. This program has sharpened my writing and research skills and equipped me with the knowhow of hunting for and turning in strong applications for opportunities. With the knowledge I gathered through the fellowship, I believe better days are closer,” Ayuba expressed his confidence in the knowledge he gathered through the programme.
Despite a tough year that saw a drop in Nigerian student visa approvals, strides are being made. UK student visa grants for Nigerians rose 84 percent in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, with approval rates reaching 96 percent (HEPI, 2025).
Education specialist Dr. Ibrahim Baba Shatambaya of the Department of Political Science at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto highlights the programme’s importance: “Global exposure transforms not just individuals but communities. These initiatives provide critical mentorship and practical guidance missing from traditional education. Intercultural communication, digital literacy and adaptability,” he concludes, “These are the skills that open international doors.”
The Challenges…
However good this initiative is, one challenge facing it is the lack of commitment and readiness of the students. Some don’t attend virtual trainings on time, skip assignments or fail to ask relevant questions.
“we can’t force ambitions on them,” says Dr. Kazeem. “Our job is to guide them but students must try to drive their own success.”
The initiative would have loved to extend the mentorship program to other universities but funding is now a constraint, limiting its expansion other universities.