In a dramatic twist of fate, Yazid, the young artisanal miner whose eloquent and emotional eyewitness account of how 37 illegal miners died in NSCDC detention shook Nigeria, has been screened for a foreign scholarship by the Distinguished Senator Mohammed Sani Musa 313 Scholarship Committee.
Yazid became an internet sensation last week after a video of him speaking to newsmen outside the NSCDC Headquarters in Minna went viral. Unlike many, the teenager spoke in flawless Hausa and English, narrating how scores of young men arrested on September 15-16 in M.I Wushishi/Lukoto were crammed into a single poorly ventilated cell, shouted for air, and were allegedly ignored until over 30 died by September 17.
> “Over 30 of our children died right before our eyes. We were begging for air, but nobody opened the door,” Yazid told journalists, a testimony that contradicted the official “disease outbreak” narrative and triggered Governor Bago’s mourning declaration and suspension of the NSCDC State Commandant.
His courage, composure, and command of language caught the attention of Nigerians across social media, with many calling him “the eloquent mining boy.”
In a statement from Minna on Monday, the Senator Mohammed Sani Musa 313 Scholarship Screening Committee confirmed that Yazid has been invited and screened for inclusion in the next batch of the Senator’s International Scholarship Scheme.
Senator Musa, representing Niger East Senatorial District and fondly called Senator 313, is renowned for sponsoring over 200 students to study Medicine, Engineering and Technology in *India and China* – fully funded, including 100 medical students currently in India.
A member of the committee, Prof. Galadima, who supervised the screening at the College of Education, Minna, said Yazid’s case was special:
“We are not just screening for grades. We are screening for potential, character, and story. Yazid showed intelligence and bravery under trauma. Distinguished Senator 313 believes that if this boy can articulate injustice so clearly from a mining pit, imagine what he can do from a university lecture hall abroad.”
Sources say Yazid, who dropped out of secondary school to join artisanal mining to support his family, scored impressively in the 60-question Computer-Based Test (CBT) aptitude test – 10 questions each in core subjects.
If successful, he will join the next cohort of Niger East students heading to India or China to study, with a bond to return and serve Niger State – a vision the Senator says is to rebuild human capital for his 9 LGAs.
The development has been hailed by Niger youths, who said the scholarship offers a lifeline away from dangerous illegal mines that have become death traps and funding channels for bandits.
Yazid, speaking after his screening, said: “I never thought my voice would take me to school. I was only speaking for my 37 brothers who died. If I get this scholarship, I will study law to fight for the poor.”
The 37 miners’ bodies have been deposited at Minna General Hospital for autopsy as the 10-man federal panel continues its investigation.
