The Borno State Government has disbursed over ₦9 billion to sponsor 32,000 indigenes under its scholarship scheme in 2024, the Executive Secretary of the State Scholarship Board, Bala Isa, disclosed on Thursday.
Speaking in Maiduguri, Isa highlighted that Governor Babagana Zulum remains committed to empowering the youth through education, with a focus on creating opportunities for intellectual and professional growth to contribute to the socio-economic development of the state and the nation.
He stated that the scholarship programme is a cornerstone of Zulum’s administration, designed to foster innovation, leadership, and progress for generations to come.
“This administration has spent over ₦9 billion to sponsor over 32,000 Borno State indigenes this year alone, focusing on critical fields like science, technology, engineering, ICT, and mathematics, for both local and international scholarships,” Isa said.
In addition, the governor has approved postgraduate scholarships in disciplines such as education, arts, social sciences, humanities, and management sciences.
Isa revealed that the government is breaking new ground by extending scholarships to pilot training, providing youths from Borno with opportunities to enter the aviation industry.
“This initiative will enable interested and qualified youths to pursue careers in aviation, a sector with immense personal and professional potential. This move underscores our state’s ambition to stand out on the global stage while opening new avenues for development,” he added.
Isa emphasised that Zulum’s scholarship programme reflects his unwavering belief in the transformative power of education and skills acquisition.
“These scholarships cover a wide range of disciplines to foster advanced knowledge and research that address the unique challenges of Borno State and Nigeria at large. By supporting pilot training, we aim to empower our youth to access opportunities in the global aviation industry and inspire them to dream big,” Isa explained.
In his remarks, the Vice President of the National Union of Borno State Students, Ali Mallam Gana, praised the Zulum administration’s unprecedented investment in education.
“We can categorically state that no governor in Nigeria invests in the education sector like Governor Babagana Zulum. His commitment to repositioning the sector is vital for human development and growth. We are proud of his leadership and his team,” Gana said.
