The Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau I Jibrin has bid farewell to 70 beneficiaries of his foreign scholarship scheme.
Barau saw them off at the International wing of the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport, Gate 3, on Sunday, aboard Ethiopian Airlines.
The Deputy Senate President also gifted 200 Dollars to each of the beneficiaries, while N30 million was declared as part of contributions gotten from well-wishers, which will be shared among them.
Speaking at the Airport a few minutes before passengers began boarding, Senator Barau said the initiative was born out of concern for the development of education in the northern region of Nigeria.
“Well, you all know, we all know as a country that one of the areas that we have a problem in terms of educating our youth is the northwestern part of this country. We have a youth population, which is an asset to us, but our problem is that they are not well-educated. And I feel that our number one problem, our number one solution to our problems is educating our youth.
“And we understand the importance of human capital. It’s key to the development of every nation. It’s in this regard that I feel, I feel that the best thing to do is to begin to educate, help, or complement what the president, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is doing in terms of giving access to the indigent students, indigent part of our youth, who do not have the wherewithal, whose parents do not have the wherewithal to train them educationally.
“You know that there are different policies of the government, particularly the NEL Fund, the student loan scheme, which is helping to educate our youth as we speak. The president is doing very well in this regard. And the fact is that the issue of education anywhere in the world is not something that rests on the shoulders of the government alone.
“It doesn’t rest on the shoulders of the government alone. It’s an all-inclusive kind of effort. Governments, religious bodies, private individuals, high-worth individuals, and so on.
“That’s why I decided on my own to get into this initiative of sponsoring our students, those who do not have the wherewithal to get trained appropriately, especially in the areas that are needed in our contemporary world. Areas like artificial intelligence, forensic science, software engineering, and so on.
“That’s why I decided to identify these students who are from different parts of them so that they can go and further their education in these very, very important areas.
“And my thinking is that they may not come back and start looking for jobs. Those who have been able to secure employment, are fine. But the focus is for them to be self-employed.”
The beneficiaries began onboarding at exactly, 1:20 pm on Sunday.
Daily Trust reports that the Deputy Senate President had on the 9th of September 2024 offered admission letters to the beneficiaries – 65 males and five females – from the three senatorial districts of Kano State to pursue higher degrees in Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, and Robotics Science in reputable institutions of higher learning abroad.
Similarly, the beneficiaries were accorded a send-forth ceremony on Saturday where they were presented with a package containing their travel documents, laptop computers, a Hijab for the female among them, and a copy of the Holy Qur’an.
He urged the beneficiaries to be good Ambassadors of Kano State and Nigeria during their pursuit of knowledge in the foreign nation.
The lawmaker also urged them to study hard and justify the sponsorship for the benefit of themselves, their parents, Kano State, and Nigeria.
He also advised them to focus on their studies to graduate with flying colours and return home to develop themselves, their home state, and the nation.
“I don’t know any of you; you were selected based on merit and not any other consideration, whether political, social, or economic,” he said.
The scholarship was granted under the auspices of the Barau I. Jibrin Foundation.
(DailyTrust)
