Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum has granted a N1.3 billion scholarship for 997 indigenous nursing and midwifery students.
According to a statement released yesterday, the scholarship scheme got around 1,080 nominations, with 40 coming from each of the state’s 27 local government regions. It said that 997 applicants passed an entrance exam and were eligible for the award.
Zulum, when introducing the scholarship scheme at the College of Nursing and Midwifery in Maiduguri, stated that the scholarship recipients would, upon graduation, bridge the workforce demands in the state’s healthcare service delivery due to population expansion.
He said: “The government has allocated a total of N1,305,189,000 for scholarships, with a breakdown of N124,149,000 earmarked for tuition fees.
“The remaining N1,181,040,000 will be disbursed as a monthly stipend of N30,000 to each beneficiary throughout their studies.”
Zulum further stated that his administration was constructing two colleges of nursing, one in the northern part of the state and the other one in the southern part. He assured that the two colleges would be completed and opened for academic activities this year.
Highlighting the government’s efforts, the Commissioner for Education, Lawan Wakilbe, disclosed that from May 29, 2019 to date, Zulum’s administration had approved over N6 billion for scholarship with N2.7 billion of that amount approved from May 29, 2023 to date.
Meanwhile, the governor has awarded N201 million bursary allowance to 2,010 students of the Maiduguri College of Nursing who had not benefited from the scholarship. The governor directed that each of the 2,010 nursing and midwifery students be credited with the bursary allowance of N100,000.
Zulum also commissioned a lecture theatre complex and a 3,000 people-capacity multipurpose hall for the College of Nursing and Midwifery, Maiduguri.
The governor also announced automatic employment for the 997 beneficiaries and other nursing students who had excelled academically, on completion of their studies.
In a related development, the Nursing Council of Nigeria (NCN) has commended Borno State for his commitment to improving nursing practice in the state, noting that the scholarship awarded by the governor on Wednesday was the first of its kind and so far the largest in Nigeria.
The Registrar of the Council, Dr Farouk Umar Abubakar, who was represented by the Director of Standard and Accreditation, Alhassan Ndagi, gave the commendation while delivering a goodwill message at the flag-off of the N1.3 billion scholarship for nursing and midwifery students in Maiduguri.
The register applauded the performance of the nursing students from Borno, stating that every year at the national examinations, students from Borno score more than 90 per cent.