Lawan Wakilbe, the commissioner for education, science, technology and innovation says the Borno government spent more than N9.7 billion on student scholarships in 2024. 

Mr Wakilbe disclosed this on Wednesday in Maiduguri while briefing journalists after the first executive council meeting in 2025.

He said that some of the beneficiaries were in local tertiary institutions while others were in schools outside the nation’s shores.

Mr Wakilbe revealed that N4.29 billion was disbursed to 30,616 undergraduate students studying law, science, medicine, nursing and engineering in Nigerian institutions. 

“Additionally, N382 million was awarded to 335 post-graduate students pursuing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) courses in local institutions,” he said.

The commissioner said that N2.32 billion was allocated to 132 undergraduate students studying Medicine and Engineering in China and Egypt, while 287 post-graduate students enrolled into STEM courses in India and Malaysia received N2.69 billion.

“In total, 31,369 students benefited from the state’s scholarship programme in 2024.

“Governor Zulum has also approved the sponsorship of 30 new students for aviation courses in 2025, with additional scholarship programmes set to be launched later this year,” he said.

Mr Wakilbe stated that 997 students were currently enrolled at the College of Nursing, Maiduguri, with 94 others at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.

Other beneficiaries include 32 medical students at Al-Ansar University, Maiduguri, and 392 students at the Federal Polytechnic, Monguno.

“For foreign scholarships, 150 students are studying in India with 19 pursuing Medicine. Others include 29 students in Malaysia, 65 at Sharda University, and 85 at Integral University in India.

“In China, 10 students are enrolled into the MBBS programme at Jinzhou Medical University, 30 at Anhui Medical University, while 50 are into Engineering programmes in other universities,” he said.

According to Mr Wakilbe, the scholarship programme aligns with Mr Zulum’s 10-year transformation agenda and 25-year development plan aimed at meeting the workforce needs of the state as it recovers from insurgency.

The commissioner also noted the government’s efforts in constructing and equipping mega schools and classrooms, recruiting qualified teachers and reducing the number of out-of-school children.

He commended Mr Zulum and other stakeholders like the executive secretary of the Borno State Scholarship Board, Mallam Bala Isa, “for creating opportunities for students and easing the burden on parents.” 

(NAN)