Zulum Approves N1.65bn Scholarship for 300 Orphans

On Tuesday, during a press conference in Maiduguri, Borno State Governor Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum announced the approval of N1.649 billion to settle outstanding scholarship obligations for 300 orphans of counter-insurgency volunteers and other eligible students.

The funding will cover the 2024-2025 scholarship awards for students attending tertiary institutions within Nigeria and abroad. The approved funds will include tuition and accommodation for 272 medical students at the Federal University of Health Sciences, Azare, 34 MBBS students at Al Ansar University, Maiduguri, and 60 students at the Nigerian Institute of Leather Science and Technology, Zaria.

Additionally, the package includes six months of allowances for nursing college students under the state scholarship scheme, covering school fees for 300 orphans of counter-insurgency volunteers, return airfare for 133 postgraduate STEM graduates, 39 PhD STEM scholars in India and Malaysia, and 104 undergraduate scholars studying in China. Dr.

Bala Isa, Executive Secretary of the Borno State Scholarship Board, described the approval as a strategic investment in the state's future.