By Aideloje Ojo
Niger state government has been spending over N1billion annually on all categories of students in post primary and tertiary institutions within and outside the state over the past seven years, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Prof. Mohammed Kuta Yahaya, has said.
Yahaya, the chairman of the cabinet committee set up to itemise the intangible achievements of the seven-year-old administration stated this on Wednesday in a post-exco briefing in Minna.
He said out of the N1 billion, N600 million was committed to the payment of WAEC and NECO senior school certificate examination registration fees for all students in public schools, while the balance was used for the payment of scholarship, allowances and bursaries to students of the state origin in institutions of higher learning within and outside the state.
The amount, Yahaya said, did not include the payment of over N45 million as fees for students of preliminary studies at the Federal University of Technology, Minna.
The commissioner said the administration had secured accreditation for most of the courses offered by the state-owned Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University located at Lapai with the release of over N260m to upgrade its structures and provide equipment in addition to the regular monthly release of subvention to the institution.
He said Governor Aliyu would be remembered as one governor that had left indelible marks on the sands of time in Niger state.
Yahaya said Niger state had been described as one of the most peaceful states in the country where investors were willing to do business because of the ‘proactive and preventive measures the administration.”
“The Chief Servant has been keeping faith with his oath of office to be fair and just for all manners of people without affection or ill will,” he said.
