Governor Babagana Umara Zulum on Wednesday bided farewell to 19 youths, most of them grew up as orphans and vulnerable indigenes of Borno State. The students will soon be departing for Suez City in Egypt, to study and obtain Bachelor of Medicine & Surgery (MBBS) degrees on full government scholarship, for a duration of five years.
The scholarship to Suez University for which Zulum released N250m was one of the outcomes of a visit to some Egyptian Universities by Governor Zulum in November, 2020.
The governor had, during that trip, promised to approve scholarship for youths from the most deprived family backgrounds in Borno State to study in Egypt, other countries and across Nigeria.
Zulum, later in February 2022, made a follow up visit to the Egyptian embassy in Abuja for a meeting with Ambassador Ihab Awad, to discuss the educational partnership.
The 19 youths who benefitted from that partnership were selected from Borno’s 27 local government areas, comprising of 12 young men and seven young women.
Governor Zulum received the 19 beneficiaries at the Government House, Maiduguri.
They were led by Commissioner for Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Babagana Mustapha Mallambe, whose ministry supervises Borno State Scholarship Board.
Zulum congratulated the youths and urged them to focus on their studies and be good ambassadors of Borno and Nigeria.
The governor announced the release of 500 U.S Dollars as special parting gifts to each of the 19 students.
He also said each of them will be receiving 200 U.S Dollars every month in addition to the provision of accommodation and some logistics.
Mallambe explained that the beneficiaries will be departing for Egypt on February 11, 2023.
Chairman of Borno State Scholarship Board, Malam Baba Isa, confirmed that all payments and necessary documentation had been concluded.
Dr Tamos Khazim in charge of testing and selection noted that the students were admitted after passing pre-qualification examinations.