An eight-year-old Christian girl in northern Nigeria has started school for the first time after her father used an award grant to pay her fees.
Angela Yahaya was previously among Nigeria’s millions of out-of-school children, but began her education after her father Tobias Yahaya won Aid to the Church in Need (ACN)’s #RedWednesday Courage to be Christian award in November 2025.
Angela said she felt “proud and happy to be in school” and added that she prayed for God’s blessing on those who helped her realise her dream, ACN reported.
Tobias, a catechist and lay leader from Sokoto in north-west Nigeria, received the award after surviving a knife attack outside his home in April 2023.
He was stabbed in the chest while confronting armed men and later publicly forgave his attacker in court, embracing him and saying: “I forgive you.”
As part of the award, Tobias received a small grant, which he chose to use to send Angela to school. He said his “biggest dream” was to see his children succeed through formal education.
According to UNICEF, almost 19 million children in Nigeria are not in school, with girls in the north particularly affected by poverty, insecurity and cultural barriers.
John Pontifex, head of press and public affairs at ACN, said Angela’s story showed how Tobias’ faith and courage had led to “a fresh start” for his daughter in an extremely challenging environment.