From Olukayode Idowu, Maiduguri
Borno State Government has approved N624 million for payment of scholarships to 23,776 indigenes of the state in higher institutions across the country.
The government has also expended N302.7 million on foreign scholarships
Speaking at a press briefing marking the one year anniversary of Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Umara on Thursday, the State Commissioner of Higher Education, Professor Isa Hussaini said the 23,776 students are in 49 higher institutions across the country.
He disclosed that the beneficiaries are 166 MSc/MA degree students, 11,790 Bachelor degree students, 883 diploma students; 3,015 NCE students; 6,897 ND students and 1037 HND students.
He said his ministry has undertaken series of reforms in the higher education ministry.
Hussaini added that for scholarships to foreign students, a total of 118 advance degrees students pursuing PhD, Masters, MBBS, BSc/BA have received scholarships approval in two different batches of N278,682,000 and N24,000,000 respectively.
He also noted that first degree students of various institutions were given between N50, 000 and N100,000 as scholarships from state university, the State Polytechnic, the State Blind School, the College of Education have all been given one form of upgrading, renovation and new building.
The Commissioner said with the massive investment made in educational development, Borno state will at the end of Governor Babagana Zulum’s tenure emerge one of the best and most developed states in the country.
He said: “As a renowned academician and pharmacologist, I have no doubt that Borno, a state devastated by the Boko Haram insurgency, would soon get out of its years of misfortune and regained its lost glory in no distant time.
“I believe this will come to pass and Borno would be counted among the states with developed infrastructure because the state is blessed to have an honest man who is dedicated and passionate about his people.”
He said: “Borno can bank on the integrity of Governor Zulum because his integrity has never been in doubt.
The Concessioner said: “We have not only renovated the ministry but we have also ensured that we connect the ministry to the internet; we have also changed the culture of taking government sensitive documents outside for printing or photocopying.
“We have built a new digital library at the Shettima Ali Monguno Library complex. The scholarship board has also been revived and scholarship awards, which was stopped for eight years, are now being given out to students every year to date.”