Gov. Zulum Approves N624 Million For Payments of Scholarships to 23,776 Students in 48 Tertiary Institutions

By Sadiq Abubakar, The Nigerian Voice, Maiduguri
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Borno State Commissioner of Higher Education, Professor Isa Hussaini Marte has disclosed that Governor Babagama Umara Zulum of Borno state has approved N624 million for scholarship payments to 23, 776 qualified students from 48 institutions.

He also stated that the awards were categorized based on levels of studies of 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.

The Commissioner who made this known during the inter ministerial press briefings held at multi purpose hall of Government House Maiduguri Wednesday to mark the one year anniversary of Governor Babagama Umara Zulum said his ministry has undertaken series of reforms in the higher education ministry.

Professor Marte added that for scholarships to foreign students , a total of 118 advance degree 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 assures that 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.

" 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 regain its lost glory in no distant time.

"I believe this will come to pass and Borno would be counted among the states with developed infrastructures because the state is blessed to have an honest man who is dedicated and passionate about his people," said the Higher Education Commissioner.

"Borno can bank on the integrity of Governor Zulum because his integrity has never been in doubt", Marte 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 will build a new digital library at the Shettima Ali Monguno Library complex. The scholarship board has also been revived and scholarship awards which had stopped for eight years, are now being given out to students every year to date", Marte said.

The commissioner expressed confident that Borno state will get it's rightful position with his academic colleague and now his boss, Professor Zulum as the governor of the state.

"Professor Babagana Zulum, is a strategic leader, honest and focused leader as well as man of the people. He is a result oriented governor who cares about his people and put their interests first and ahead of his onw personal interest", Marte said.