The Jigawa State Government has earmarked ₦10 billion for scholarship programmes targeting students and lecturers in its proposed 2026 budget.
The Executive Secretary of the Jigawa State Scholarship Board, Malam Sa’idu, disclosed this on Thursday in Dutse while defending the board’s budget before the Jigawa House of Assembly Committee on Basic Education. He explained that the allocation will cover both local and foreign scholarships for students and academic staff.
According to him, 120 lecturers across tertiary institutions in the state are expected to benefit from the scheme. In addition, 100 medical students will be sponsored for postgraduate studies abroad. The beneficiaries, made up of 60 males and 40 females, will study various medical disciplines in Cyprus.
“The government is building new health facilities across the state, which are expected to be manned by these foreign scholarship students. So, 100 of them will be sponsored to further their education after which they will come back and serve the state,” he said.
Malam Sa’idu added that the scholarship board, working with the Ministry of Education, has asked tertiary institutions to identify critical academic areas where lecturer sponsorship is most needed.
Beyond scholarships, the state government has also made significant budgetary provisions for tertiary education infrastructure. The Jigawa State Polytechnic, Dutse, has been allocated ₦700 million. Its Rector, Ahmad Badayi, said ₦330 million would be used to procure laboratory equipment and workshop tools, while ₦440 million is set aside to complete ongoing projects.
Similarly, the Jigawa State College of Education, Gumel, has received an allocation of ₦900 million. The Provost, Dr Nura Muhammed, said the funds would support 14 new projects and help complete existing ones, including the construction of 1,000 metres of fencing to secure the campus.
In the area of adult education, the Executive Secretary of the Jigawa State Agency for Mass Education, Abbas Abubakar, disclosed that ₦400 million has been proposed for mass literacy programmes in the 2026 fiscal year.
(NAN)
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