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In a landmark initiative designed to inspire academic excellence and invest in Nigeria’s future leaders, Rite Foods Limited, Nigeria’s food and beverage company, in partnership with the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) rewarded seven highest-performing candidates in public universities in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) across the country’s six geopolitical zones, with N5million each.
The initiative represents a total annual investment of N35 million in the education and future aspirations of young Nigerians.
The scheme highlights Rite Foods’ commitment to its sustainability pillars of Education, Youth Empowerment, Environmental Stewardship and Community Development (EYEC), while bringing to life the company’s proudly Nigerian mantra by celebrating excellence, empowering talent, and contributing to national development through education.
The award recognised the highest-performing matriculating students for the 2025/2026 academic session across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones in public universities, alongside a special award for a recipient from JAMB’s Equal Opportunity Group.
Award recipients were selected based on the highest overall admission aggregate in their respective zones, using the same merit-based admission criteria adopted by Nigerian universities. This aggregate combines candidates’ O’ Level results, UTME scores, and Post-UTME assessment.
Celebrating these exceptional young Nigerians at the very beginning of their university journey, Rite Foods is doing more than rewarding academic achievement.
In his speech, Managing Director of Rite Foods, Seleem Adeguwa said the Rite Foods National Excellence Award is more than an annual recognition programme it is the beginning of a long-term movement to build an excellence culture in Nigeria.
“Rite Foods envisions a future where excellence becomes the standard, not the exception; where achievement is celebrated as much as entertainment; and where young Nigerians are inspired to pursue their highest potential because society intentionally recognizes those who raise the bar.
“The company’s aspiration is to make excellence visible, aspirational and repeatable by creating a platform that celebrates merit, inspires ambition and encourages future generations to contribute significantly to Nigeria’s development.
Adegunwa stressed that the strategic partnership between Rite Foods Limited and JAMB is more than a ceremony.
“It is a celebration of excellence, a vote of confidence in the potential of Nigerian youths, and a demonstration of what can be achieved when institutions come together to invest in the future of our country.
“At Rite Foods, we firmly believe that Nigeria’s future will be shaped by the quality of its young people. That is why this initiative goes beyond rewarding academic achievement; it is about recognising brilliance, encouraging aspiration, and empowering the next generation of leaders, innovators, professionals, and nation-builders.
“As a proudly Nigerian and truly world-class company, Rite Foods was built on the conviction that Nigerian excellence can compete with the very best anywhere in the world. Our journey from a homegrown enterprise to one of Nigeria’s most admired fast-moving consumer goods companies reflects the power of vision, innovation, resilience, and a firm commitment to quality. Those same values are at the heart of this partnership.”
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Through this initiative, the Rite Foods boss said the company was committing N35 million annually to reward the highest-performing matriculants across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
“In doing so, we are sending a clear message to millions of young Nigerians: excellence matters, hard work pays, and outstanding achievement deserves recognition.
“Education remains one of the most powerful drivers of national development. No nation can rise above the quality of its human capital, and no economy can achieve sustainable growth without investing in the education and empowerment of its youth. For us, therefore, supporting education is not merely a corporate responsibility; it is a national imperative.”
In his remarks, JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, said the board accepted to partner with Rite Foods because the process of selection was holistic and transparent.
“We accepted the partnership because it was holistic and practical. The proposal ensured that the candidate who emerged as the best is assessed comprehensively. It was not based on just one section of the evaluation; rather, it took into account the entire assessment process. That is why we embraced it. It is not simply about being the best in the UTME or the SSCE, but about being the best overall, and that is what we are celebrating today.”
The Minister of Education, represented by the Special Adviser, Dr Ismaila Adiatu applauded Rite Foods and JAMB, noting that the award is a powerful statement that Nigeria rewards merit, diligence discipline.
“This award is a celebration of academic excellence. Today, we celebrate outstanding young Nigerians who, through hard work, determination, and intellectual excellence, distinguished themselves and emerged among the best candidates for admission.
“This award is a recognition of diligence, perseverance, and academic achievement. It also serves as an encouragement to students to continue striving for excellence.”
He urged the government to continue supporting academic and intellectual development in Nigeria by investing in education and creating opportunities for young people to succeed.”
The minister noted that the present administration believes that the greatest investment any country can make is investment in its people particularly the young people.
“That is why the ministry has embarked on educational sector reform to reposition education for our graduates to be globally competitive and equipped with the knowledge, skill, innovation required for the 21th century.”
Okeke Chinedu, from the South West region, who scored the highest with 93.90 percent in Software Engineering thanked JAMB and the company for the award, promising that he will not let them down as he will do his best.
