Maryam and Emmanuel bravely stood in front of over 100 attendees at TEDx Lagos to speak about the strength of children in society. “People rarely care what I can do now or what impact I can create now, they just feel we are leaders of tomorrow, they often forget we can be leaders of today also,” Maryam continued as the crowd applauded.

For her exceptional academic performance, Maryam got a scholarship to Word of Faith Abuja and is currently in JSS2. Over the years, she has participated in several school competitions in STEM, essay writing, and storytelling. She won the Mainland Authority Merit Award, was a runner up in the Lagos State Merit Award and several other championships.

Emmanuel, one of the best graduating students in his Junior Secondary School (JSS), spoke on the importance of creating an impact. Giving examples of many children making an impact, Emmanuel stated that “every child is like a candle in a dark room, and all they need are people who wouldn’t just see the candle but also the potential of that candle to light up that room.”

With over 30 million out of school children, the Nigerian educational system is in desperate need of a revamp. “Every child like myself and Emmanuel deserve a Nigeria that works for all of us, we deserve a Nigeria where every child can dream and watch that dream come through, we deserve a Nigeria where our right is nurtured, promoted and supported,” Maryam stated, “…we deserve teachers that wouldn’t just teach us about history but would inspire us to make history.”