By Ndahi Marama, Maiduguri

Borno State Government under the leadership of Governor Babagana Umara Zulum has spent about N9.688 Billion for scholarship awards to indigenous students undergoing various studies at Tertiary Institutions within and outside the country in the year 2024.

Of this amount, a total of N112, 102,500 million formed part of the administrative costs, while the scholarship disbursement stood at N9,575,953,175 billion.

These were disclosed by the Commissioner, Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Engr. Lawan Abba Wakilbe shortly while briefing newsmen after the first 2025 Executive Council meeting chaired by Governor Zulum at the Government House, Maiduguri, the state capital.

Wakilbe said, apart from this gesture, Mega schools, and blocks of classrooms were constructed and equipped, with recruitment of qualified teachers across many local government areas in the three senatorial districts, as well as reduction in the number of out- of- schoolchildren off the streets.

He commended Governor Zulum and all stakeholders, including the Executive Secretary of the Borno State Scholarship Board, Mallam Bala Isa for creating an enabling opportunity for students and parents have a sigh of relief while pursuing their education.

Giving the breakdown, the Commissioner said, “30,616 local undergraduate students pursuing Law, Science, medical/nursing and Engineering fields at various Universities, colleges, Polytechnics and other institutions of learning in Nigeria are recipients with a total of N4,289,243,200 billion disbursed. This is in addition to N382 million disbursed to 335 local recipients undergoing Postgraduate studies in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Courses.

” Similarly, a total of N2,325,467,300 billion were disbursed for 132 undergraduate students studying Medicine, Engineering in China and Egypt Universities, while 287 postgraduate students studying STEM Courses in India and Malaysia received N2,691,467,300 only”. Wakilbe stated.

He noted that a total of 31,369 students benefitted from the gesture in 2024, while already Governor Zulum has approved another sponsorship of over 30 students who would be screened shortly after the closing of the portal to study Aviation Courses in the year 2025, as well as other scholarship and sponsorship programmes.

Also enumerating some of the schools that admitted the beneficiaries based on merit, the Commissioner said, 997 students are in College of Nursing, Maiduguri, 94 others are currently studying Nursing at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH), 32 Medical Students at Al-Ansar University, Maiduguri, while 392 students are at Federal Polytechnic Monguno among other local institutions.

Engr. Wakilbe further said, about 150 students are in India, with 19 of them studying Medicine and other related Courses, 29 in Malaysia, 65 in Sharda University and 85 at Integral University all in India.

He also said, 10 studying MBBS at Jinzhou Medical University, 30 others studying MBBS at Anhui Medical University all in China, while 50 students of Engineering are at Naijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Liaoning University of Technology and Hefei University of Technology also in China.

He noted that, with these scholarships and the bonds attached to it, the beneficiaries would, on graduation, bridge the workforce demands in the state hitherto ravaged by activities of insurgents to ensure good service delivery inline with the 10- year transformation initiative and the 25- year development plan unveiled by Governor Zulum