From HUSSAINI MUHAMMAD BABA, Abuja
The senator representing southern Borno senatorial district Distinguish Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume in his plight to support education in his constituency presents a support grant scholarship to 1,000 students of his constituency.
The former Senate, Leader, Sen. Mohammed Ali Ndume raised ten million naira with a collective effort of family and friends.
The ten-million-naira cheque was presented to the acting chairman of southern Borno students council by His Excellency Professor Babagana Umara Zulum ably represented by the secretary to Borno state government Alhaji Jidda Shuwa.
In his welcome address, Sen Ndume said he had set aside the sum of N10 million Naira through his newly established foundation Ndume Educational Fund to support indigenous students of Tertiary institutions across the nine local government areas of his constituency.
“Today is very significant to me, students of Southern Borno and the Educational Development of the zone. I have set aside N 10 million to support indigenous students in my constituency. We have selected 1,000 students from the University of Maiduguri, Ramat Polytechnic, Kashim Ibrahim College of education among other tertiary institutions, where each student will get a support of N10,000,” Ndume stated.
Ndume said ‘We have brought together the leaders of the students union of these tertiary institutions and form Southern Borno Student Council, a body trusted to manage the fund. The payment is going to be done through E-payment. We have collected their account numbers and BVN number and by Monday Insha Allah all of them will get their alerts”.
”We have categorized the zone into three, Biu, Gwoza, and Askira-Uba constitute category A, where we selected above N1000 students, category B which consist of Hawul, Shani and Damboa will get 75 to 100 students while category C has Kwaya Kusar, Chibok, and Bayo with above 50 students each.
We are hoping to expand the number of students with time. It was within the last two weeks that I told myself that I am clocking 60 years and I need to organize my foundation to support more students. This is just a beginning. We are definitely going to expand it” said the senator.
In his statement, the Senator stressed that “In addition to the scholarship, right now my wife is in Biu disbursing the sum of N10,000 each to 625 widows and indigent women, 100 of them will get sewing machines, 500 will be getting support of N10,000 each. The men are also not left out as 500 men will also be empowered with N10,000 each, as part of our empowerment program to support Federal government trader money program.”, the Senator further stressed.
In the same vein, the executive governor of Borno State Professor, Babagana Umara Zulum said ”in the last few years the state has been faced with security challenges of Boko Haram, hence the need for setting up this kind of fund to support the government, more especially in its quest to revive the education sector. I therefore commend and appreciate Senator Ndume for coming Up with this fund to support students of his constituency, I urge other individuals, philanthropists NGO and cooperate, organizations to emulate senator Ndume”.
So also, in his remark, the Vice-Chancellor, University of Maiduguri, Professor Aliyu Shugaba said ”cost of education and funding of educational institutions is increasingly becoming a challenge and difficult, and support such as Ndume Educational Fund is highly important, I, therefore, call on philanthropists, individuals, politicians and NGOs to support education sector”
He said the University of Maiduguri is always ready to partner with any individual, politician and cooperate organization to bring assistance to indigents students, stressing that the University will provide a befitting Secretariat to the Southern Borno Students Council and that his doors ate always opened for the council.
Speaking on behalf of the students, the chairman, Southern Borno. Students Council, Comrade Abdulmajid Haruna thanked the Senator for the gesture and promised to prudently and transparently manage the fund. While praying for the Senator of good health and God protection, he called on other politicians, NGOs, cooperate organizations to emulate Senator Ali Ndume
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