By Our Correspondent
Yobe state Governor, Ibrahim Gaidam, has approved the payment of N104, 326, 454 to a total of 3, 776 Yobe students enrolled in institutions of higher learning in Maiduguri zone for the 2016 session.
These institutions include University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) with 2, 991 students, Ramat Polytechnic (RAMPOLY) with 486 students, Sir Kashim Ibrahim College of Education, Maiduguri (SKICOE) with 158 students, Muhammad Goni College of Legal and Islamic Studies (MAGCOLIS) with 83 students, Muhammad Lawan College of Agriculture, Maiduguri (MOLCA) with 50 students and the School of Health Technology, Maiduguri with eight students.
This was contained in a statement issued yesterday by the gove rnor’s Driector of Press Affairs, Abdullahi Bego.
It read in part: “Earlier in September, officials of the State Scholarship Board had paid N165, 198, 340 to a total of 12, 002 students in Gaidam, Gashu’a and Nguru zones covering Umar Suleiman College of Education, Gashu’a (USCOEGA) with 7, 978 students, Federal University, Gashu’a with 697 students, Mai Idriss Alooma State Polytechnic, Gaidam with 1, 081 students, Atiku Abubakar College of Legal and Islamic Studies, Nguru (AACOLIS) with 1, 527 students and College of Health Technology, Nguru with 719 students.”
It added that the state government had also paid N261, 674,120 to numerous Yobe students pursuing medicine and other specialist courses in institutions of higher learning overseas, including in the Sudan, UK, Russia, China, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, South Africa, Uganda, Ukraine, Egypt, and the UAE, amongst others.
“Some 34 Nigeria Law School students in various Law School campuses have also been paid N19, 207, 000 for registration, allowances, and purchase of laptop computers. 10 other students have been paid N4, 242, 876 to pursue International Diploma and International Advanced Diploma in Computer at the Informatics Institute, Kazaure.
“In addition, the sum of N17, 108, 500 has been paid as registration fees for Umar Suleiman College of Education Gashu’a students who are pursuing NCE and B.A French as well as Arabic Studies for a mandatory one-year training programme in Lome, Badagry and Sokoto, respectively.
“The total amount spent by the government in scholarship payments in 2016 stands at N571, 757, 290, 00. Scholarship payments for students in Damaturu, Potiskum, Kano, Zaria, Kaduna, Yola, and other parts of the country will follow.”