Gov. Zulum grants scholarships to female indigenes with UTME scores above 250
Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State has declared that full scholarships will be awarded to all female students from the state who attained scores of 250 and above in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The UTME is organized by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for students who wish to gain entry into higher education institutions after completing secondary school.
Mr Zulum made this announcement on Saturday in Maiduguri while inaugurating the newly elected officials of the Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN), Maiduguri branch, along with a scholarship initiative led by his wife, Habiba Babagana-Zulum.
The governor stated that the purpose of the programme is to advance education for girls and to motivate female learners.
He explained that it is designed to inspire them to explore educational paths in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) as well as in technical and vocational studies.
“In order to encourage girl-child education in the state, I want to announce that the Borno State Government would sponsor all female indigenes who scored 250 and above in JAMB to study STEM or technical/vocational education,” Mr Zulum said.
The governor instructed the acting chief of staff, the State Scholarship Board, the Ministry of Education, and APWEN to locate and assess qualified students for inclusion in the scholarship programme.
He praised his wife for her efforts in supporting educational causes and also recognized APWEN’s contribution to encouraging women and girls in the engineering sector in Borno.
During the occasion, the governor’s wife presented a paper titled “The Role of Mentorship in Encouraging Girls to Pursue Engineering Careers in Nigeria.”
She underlined how vital mentorship is for promoting both the personal growth and career development of young girls.
Mrs Zulum pointed out that only 14 per cent of the STEM workforce in Nigeria is made up of women, a figure she believes needs improvement.
“Mentorship is critical to shaping the minds and future of upcoming generations,” she said.
She outlined how it helps to build confidence, challenge limiting beliefs, develop problem-solving skills, and open doors to valuable opportunities.
In her statement, the former chairperson of APWEN, Kori Shettima, expressed satisfaction with the association’s milestones, especially its work in advocacy and guiding girls into STEM areas.
The event included awarding scholarships—N200,000 each to six high-achieving female pupils from Wulari Primary School and N300,000 each to six leading science students from Federal Government Girls College, Monguno.
