Mrs Hadiza El-Rufai, wife of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has urged parents and guardians not to give up on their children, even if they struggle academically.
Her advice came in the wake of a viral video showing a teacher violently assaulting a three-year-old pupil in Lagos.
The video, which surfaced on social media, showed a teacher, Stella Nwadigo, of Christ Mitots School in Ikorodu, Lagos, smacking a young pupil, Abayomi Michael, during a numeracy lesson.
The footage sparked widespread condemnation, prompting the teacher’s arrest on Wednesday.
In a statement, the school’s management condemned the teacher’s actions, describing them as “unacceptable.” The institution assured the public that Nwadigo would remain suspended pending the outcome of an ongoing investigation.
Mrs El-Rufai’s personal academic struggles:
In response to the incident, Mrs. El-Rufai took to X (formerly Twitter) to share her own struggles as a student, encouraging parents to remain patient with their children.
To illustrate her point, she posted a 1964 report card from the Provincial Girls’ School in Kano, which revealed that she had once scored just five out of 50 in a subject.
“I didn’t start out as a good student. Don’t give up on your kids,” she wrote on Wednesday, offering hope to parents whose children may be dyslexic or struggling academically.
