The Kashim Ibrahim Fellowship (KIF) is set to open its application portal for the 6th cohort of fellows on January 9, 2023, where successful applicants will begin a one year programme with Kaduna state government.
The Administrator of Kashim Ibrahim Fellowship, Zainab Mohammed, who disclosed this in a press briefing in Kaduna said they are looking forward to receiving applications from Nigerians all over the world.
The Kashim Ibrahim Fellowship was established as a leadership capacity building programme by Governor Nasir el-Rufai, and it admitted its first cohort of fellows in 2018.
Explaining what the fellowship is all about, Ms Mohammed said it “is a one-year, non-partisan Leadership Programme envisioned by the Kaduna state government to create a network of high potential young Nigerians who are expected to rise to top leadership positions in the public sector having had a first-hand experience of its workings and challenges.
“Since its inception in 2018, KIF has graduated 70 alumni fellows, many of whom work in public service across all levels, while some work in multinational institutions and Non-Governmental Organisations. The Fellowship is now in its fifth cycle.”
Speaking on what inspired the programme, she said, “Governor Nasir el-Rufai wants to attract the youngest, the brightest of Nigerians to spend one year in government, not from the cynical point of view of just abusing the government. They will have the opportunity of working with heads of ministries, departments, and agencies, to see the challenges and opportunities. This may just change their minds about the public sector”.
Ms Mohammed said, “Applicants must be Nigerians to be eligible for the programme, because we are looking at solving a Nigerian problem. You also have to be in the age bracket of 25-35, because this demographic is the largest in Nigeria. Also, you should not be very set in your ways, you should be able to think outside the box. We need people who are not very sentimental. They should have the energy and the capacity and they should also be people that adapt to technology and the current situation. They must have completed their NYSC, having graduated from a recognized institution.
“The four components of the program are the work placement, the education component, the community service, and then the Fellowship. The Fellowship will give applicants an opportunity to put their thoughts into words, apart from their essay, where we give you a topic, just to be able to judge their reasoning and thought pattern. It is good for a leader to be able to sell his or her vision. We also have the ‘personal statement’, where we want to see what your vision is, what your drive and passion is, especially for making change; what have you done in society?’’
The administrator said that the programme would like to know if the applicants have affected the life of someone in school, adding that ‘’some people give extra-curricular classes, just for free, because they want to brush up the next generation. Some people are very passionate about women and the girl-child; some are passionate about different things, but what have they done towards pursuing that passion. In your personal statement, you will be able to tell us”.
Zainab Mohammed encouraged eligible youth to apply through the portal kif.kdsg.gov.ng before the portal closes on the February 8, 2023.
