- Odibo Victory
The Borno State Government has disbursed N1.6 billion to settle outstanding scholarship obligations for students studying across Nigeria and abroad.
The scholarship payments cover tuition, accommodation fees, welfare packages and international educational commitments.
This was disclosed by the Executive Secretary of the Borno State Scholarships Board, Dr Bala Isa, at a news conference on Tuesday in Maiduguri.
He said the intervention reflects the commitment of the administration of Gov. Babagana Zulum to education as a tool for rebuilding the state and empowering its youth.
According to Isa, the funds will cover outstanding scholarship awards for the 2024/2025 academic session for students in universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and other tertiary institutions across Nigeria.
“The package includes tuition and accommodation fees for 272 medical students at the Federal University of Health Sciences, Azare, as well as tuition payments for 34 MBBS students at Al-Ansar University, Maiduguri.
“It also covers the fees of 60 students studying at the Nigerian Institute of Leather Science and Technology, Zaria.
“Additional allocations will provide six months’ allowances for nursing students under the state scholarship programme and educational support for 300 orphans of counter-insurgency volunteers.
“The package also includes return airfares for postgraduate and undergraduate scholars studying in India, Malaysia and China,” he said.
Isa described the beneficiaries as future doctors, engineers, scientists and other professionals whose expertise would contribute to the state’s long-term development.
He added that the scholarship board had commenced administrative processes to ensure the prompt disbursement of funds to the institutions and beneficiaries.
The executive secretary commended Zulum for prioritising education despite the state’s prevailing challenges.
He noted that sustained investment in scholarships and skills development remains central to the administration’s vision of building a prosperous, peaceful and educated state.