Insecurity: Borno spent over N588m on foreign scholarship in 3years

Borno State has been made to suffer numerous losses in the face of insecurity resulting from Boko Haram terrorism and ugly incidences of kidnapping.

Besides death, low enrolment, disruption of an academic programme, and destruction of basic schools’ infrastructural facilities, the state encountered severe negative impacts of insecurity on secondary schools and primary schools.

Between 2020 and 2023, the state spent N588 million on foreign scholarships and sponsored about 180 students abroad.

In 2020, Babagana Zulum, the executive governor of Borno State, revealed that the state approved N578 million as a cumulative payment of scholarships for 23,894 students pursuing various degrees and postgraduate studies.

Zulum had, before assuming office, promised to revamp scholarship in the states as part of his plans to provide lasting solutions to the doctrine of Boko Haram, whose ideology abhors Western education.

Recently, the state government said it had released N611.9 million to pay scholarship allowance to indigent students in tertiary institutions.

Bala Isa, executive secretary of the Borno State Scholarship Board, said this at a news conference in Maiduguri.

“We have good news for Borno students: His Excellency Governor Babagana Zulum has approved and released the sum of N611.9m for the payment of 2021/22 scholarship allowances for students,” he said.

Earlier in August, the government approved the release of N308 million to pay scholarships to 14,416 indigent students in the state.

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According to the statement by the scholarship board executive secretary, the amount will facilitate payment of outstanding entitlements to students for the 2021/2022 academic session.

While announcing the development in the board in Maiduguri, the government stated in November that it had approved the release of over N500 million to pay registration fees for 19 medical students and 93 nursing students.

Isa said that the 19 indigent medical students are studying at Suez University of Egypt, while the 93 nursing students are in the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, UMTH, Nursing School.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), findings of the country’s 20 million out-of-school children, Bauchi, Kebbi, Katsina, Kano, Jigawa and 10 other states have about 10 million.

Bauchi State leads with 1,239,759; Zamfara 883,952; Kebbi 877,677; Katsina 873,633; Kano 837,479; Jigawa 784,391; Kaduna 652,990; and Gombe 567,852.

Others are Adamawa 489,855; Niger 478,412; Sokoto 462,164; Yobe 405,100; Benue 383,022; Taraba 338,975: and Borno 266,478.

According to the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) recommendations to return these displaced children to school, the country would require an additional 20,000 schools and 907,769 classrooms.