Seadogs to Pay School Fees for 100 Indigent Pupils, Raise Literacy Concerns

By Folalumi Alaran in Abuja

The National Association of Seadogs (Pyrates Confraternity) has announced plans to pay the school fees of 100 indigent pupils in Abuja as part of activities marking the 2026 International Literacy Day.

The initiative, being implemented by the association’s Sahara Deck in Abuja and Zero Meridian Deck in the United Kingdom, will target pupils of LEA Primary School, Dakibiyu, Jabi, Abuja.

The intervention is part of a three-pronged programme that also includes an essay competition for secondary school students in the Federal Capital Territory and a spelling bee for young learners.

The association said the programme was aimed at promoting access to education, literacy and critical thinking, while drawing attention to the growing challenge of misinformation and fake news.

The essay competition, with the theme, “Read, Think, Verify: Building Critical Information Literacy in the Digital Age,” is designed to encourage students to question, cross-check and verify information before accepting or sharing it.

According to the Seadogs, the focus has become increasingly important as young Nigerians rely more heavily on mobile phones and digital platforms for information, making the ability to distinguish credible information from misinformation an essential literacy skill.

The spelling bee is also intended to encourage reading, vocabulary development and interest in language among young learners.

The payment of school fees for the 100 pupils, however, remains a major component of the intervention, with the association saying it was intended to help children from low-income households remain in school.

The initiative comes against the backdrop of Nigeria’s persistent literacy and out-of-school children challenges.

The association cited UNICEF estimates indicating that more than 18 million children are out of school in Nigeria. It also referenced a 2024 UNICEF report which found that only about one in four Nigerian children aged seven to 14 had basic reading and mathematics skills.

The Seadogs said the intervention at LEA Primary School, Dakibiyu, builds on an earlier programme at the school.

In September 2025, the Sahara and Zero Meridian Decks launched the NAS Street Child Project at the school as part of activities marking International Literacy Day. The project included payment of school fees for indigent pupils, renovation of two classrooms and provision of furniture and writing materials.

The initiative also drew attention to the shortage of teachers at the school, which, according to the association, was at the time being managed by a single teacher for all classes.

The association said the Street Child Project had been running for more than 10 years as one of its social responsibility initiatives and was funded by members of the National Association of Seadogs.

The two Decks said this year’s intervention was also aligned with the association’s National Back to School Advocacy and Humanitarian Project, which identifies literacy as a fundamental human right and an important component of national development.

They called on the FCT Education Secretariat and the Local Education Authority to complement the intervention by addressing teacher shortages and infrastructure gaps in public primary schools.

The association also urged parents, schools, corporate organisations and other stakeholders to support the essay competition, spelling bee and pupils of LEA Primary School, Dakibiyu.

The National Association of Seadogs was founded in 1952 at the University College, Ibadan, by seven students, including Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka. The organisation says its founding objectives included opposition to tribalism, elitism and injustice, as well as the promotion of human rights and social justice.

The association has Decks in Nigeria and the diaspora and holds special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council.