By Yahaya Jibrin

Since 1998, when the Nigerian Tulip International Colleges (NTIC) opened shop in a rented two-bedroom apartment in the heart of Abuja, little did we know that something good was about to happen. Just like its slogan, the “right environment for learning,” the successes recorded by ex-students of the NTIC have indeed proved this motto correct.

•Bugaje

This piece is on a young chap that has been making headlines after he emerged as the best graduating student for 2017 from Ahmadu Bello University (ABU). Call him a genius if you like, and he would offer you a smile. But call him a product of NTIC, and he would nod his head. Al-Amin Bugaje, of the ABU department of electrical engineering, graduated with a cumulative CGPA of 4.93. He will tell you he is not a bookworm. That he loves to sleep because rest is good. This is what he learned while at the NTIC, so once it is 10 pm, he shuts down and sleeps. He will also say he tries to observe his siesta in the afternoon. “While I was at the NTIC, we were made to understand that rest is good. So, after study, we rest.”

He is also a good footballer. He says at NTIC, if you don’t know how to play football, it means you are not a student. “Every NTIC student is good in football, and we always looked forward to it.”

This is a short story of a chap who conquered academically at ABU. Upon hearing the news, I found him out. He attributed his success story to God, his family and the sound background he received at NTIC.

This is a feat like no other. And that got him scholarship up to a Ph.D. level in any university of his choice in the world by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). You might want to add that Al-Amin Bugaje was quite lucky because, before him, there had been others. Well, you won’t be wrong, and at the same time right because for Al-Amin Bugaje, the journey started a long time ago when he wrote the entrance examination into Junior Secondary School at the Nigerian Tulip International Colleges, Kaduna. “At NTIC, we were always told that success doesn’t come to you, you go for it. And those words resonate in our consciousness now. When you see an ex-student of NTIC doing well, don’t be surprised because we have been well-groomed academically, morally and as well as well-equipped through exposures in the form of international Olympiad competitions and other competitions”, he said.

“I enjoyed 100% scholarship during my stay at NTIC from JSS one to SS3, and NTIC has been instrumental to shaping me into the person that I am today. It created a nurturing environment to develop my potentials and a warm environment to explore, and to that, there is an endless gratitude, and I thank them very much for the opportunity”

This whizkid’s testimony explains why NTIC brand has remained a force to reckon with in the Nigerian educational space over the past 19 years. Al-Amin Bugaje is just one of the thousands of young boys and girls that have passed through NTIC. Another is Chinemelu Ezeh, currently a Ph.D. candidate in robotics engineering at the University College London (UCL). Ezeh, in a newspaper interview, had this to say about his alma mater, “Nigerian Tulip International Colleges not only influenced my interest but also assisted with developing a rigorous background in mathematics and science.” He added, “NTIC also encouraged students to broaden their horizon by participating in local and international competitions and I gained an appreciation of science and technology through the international exposure.”

Ezeh’s statement tells about the NTIC learning model. Ex-NTIC students have distinguished themselves in their chosen fields. You might want to ask, what makes the NTIC brand thick?

Mr. Muazu Omeji, Principal, NTIC Boys, Abuja, in an interview, pointed out, “In NTIC, we believe that human beings are born as empty vessels which can be shaped by good values. NTIC’s mandate is to grow kids to greatness not only in education but also in sound moral upbringing to be well-rounded individuals for the betterment of the society.”

Omeji added, “At NTIC, we believe that motivation is better than coercion in achieving set goals. We motivate our teachers. In our school, only the best is good enough. Given this, teachers are regularly retrained on modern pedagogy.” This much Al-Amin Bugaje corroborated, “At NTIC, we had teachers who were not only concerned about our academic performance; they also ensured we were of sound and stable mind always.”

At a conference organized by Concerned Parents & Educators Network, it was stated that without proper work at the early stage in educating a child, nothing done at other levels will stand. I cannot agree less. And this is what the NTIC brand has taken time to invest in Nigeria.  It is actively involved in local and international competitions like the International Olympiad Tournament. According to information posted on its website, “in the 2016/2017 academic session, NTIC students won a total of nine gold medals, 10 silver medals and 20 bronze medals in all of the international competitions it took part in. For 13 years now, the NTIC, in collaboration with the National Mathematics Centre, has been organizing the Annual National Mathematics Competition for primary five and six pupils across the country. The nobility of this strategy is that these pupils, by the time they get to secondary school, would have been well grounded and ready for academic exploits. And I guess we won’t be surprised in the future if a Nigerian groomed through the Annual Mathematics Competition achieves international recognition in mathematics.

Having said all this, it would be safe to state that the impact of the NTIC brand in Nigeria cannot be overemphasized.   It has contributed immensely to the Nigerian educational space in the past 19 years. And Al-Amin Bugaje is just one example.