A seven-year-old girl from northern Nigeria has donated her personal savings to the Oluremi Tinubu Education Fund, a campaign launched to mark the First Lady’s 65th birthday and promote children’s access to books through the National Library.
Faith Maiyaki, a primary four pupil from Dutse, Jigawa State, said she decided to give her “last savings” after watching a television advert encouraging Nigerians to contribute to the “Oluremi at 65 Education Fund” instead of sending birthday gifts.
“I just wanted to help other children read more books like me,” Faith told her parents, who later helped her make the transfer to the campaign’s Zenith Bank account on September 3, according to her family.
Her father confirmed that the transaction was made at 10:08 p.m. that night, moments after Faith copied the account details from a TV commercial. Her 10-year-old sister also followed with a separate donation two minutes later.
Both girls are known among their teachers for their love of reading. Faith has reportedly read 68 children’s books since July, while her sister has read over 100 and writes short stories of her own. The two share a small bookshelf at home and attend phonics classes every weekend.
Their parents said they nurture a “culture of learning” at home, encouraging the girls to read widely and watch both local and international news.
The sisters said their donations were meant to help expand book access for children across Nigeria and wished the First Lady “a happy birthday, long life, and good health.”
In 2024, the two girls were among participants in an International Day of the Girl Child event at the Jigawa State House of Assembly, where they joined other girls to preside over a symbolic plenary session and present policy proposals.
The Oluremi at 65 Education Fund forms part of the First Lady’s literacy initiative, which aims to channel public goodwill into building a modern National Library. Earlier this year, Tinubu visited the Qatar National Library in Doha to study its digital and research facilities.
Faith’s gesture has since drawn admiration online, with many describing it as a “touching example of youthful compassion.”