It gives me joy when I hear that a state governor is disbursing money to assist the students of his state. Truly, it makes me feel happy.
Last week I read the news that Kano state government has increased scholarship for the state students by 50 percent.
If one checks the welfare of Borno state students, many students will wish that they were indigenes of the state. Governor Professor Umaru Zulum is an exceptional governor that takes education very serious.
In 2020, Governor Zulum paid N578 million to 23,894 students and, interestingly, he offered a N5 million scholarship to a 13-year-old boy for copy-designing the state’s first flyover.
But, in Zamfara state the story is different because since the coming of Bello Muhammad Matawalle as the governor of Zamfara state students’ scholarship ceased.
The only thing that was done as part of students’ assistance is the sponsorship of 200 students to study in four foreign countries and the state government finding it hard to continue with this good effort. The government is finding a way to tell the parents of the children to continue to sponsor themselves; a really, painful decision from the Government.
Your Excellency, indeed, you should know that Zamfara state government is in greatest danger of insecurity which has added to the ravaging poverty in the state.
Most parents cannot afford to pay the tuition fees of their children and as a governor who came on board to better the lives of Zamfarawa and improve on education, the stoppage of scholarship payment is adding to the problems of the state students and parents. You should know that many parents cannot farm on their farmland and farming is the main business of the people.
I pray that this write up will meet you in peace and make you have a second thought because since the first year of your tenure to date you have not paid any scholarship to students studying in Nigerian schools.
We are tired of waiting and fed up with promises of uncountable dates of payment. We have done all the necessary screening and documentation and all what remains is payment. Zamfara state students will be happy to have the token scholarship from their own state like other students. We know they money cannot do everything for us but it will make us happy and proud as Zamfara state indigenes.
While we await a definite date for the disbursement, I wish you a successful governance and may peace reign in our state. May God help you in your administrative duty. Amen.
Haulat Idris Adamu,
an indigene of Maradun local government area, Zamfara state and a student of Federal Cooperative College, Kaduna, Kaduna state.
