The Jigawa State Government has said that it has concluded plans to sponsor 50 indigent students from the state to study medicine in China.

The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Abba Umar, made this known when he spoke with newsmen in Dutse on Monday.

Umar said that some ministry officials would be travelling to China with Gov. Muhammad Badaru to finalise arrangement with the medical schools in China.

He said that each of the 30 state constituencies would produce one student which would be evenly distributed among males and females.

The commissioner said that no child of wealthy or top government officials would benefit from the scheme.

Umar said that the applicants would be screened to select the best among them that would study medicine in China.

He said the state government accords priority to the sector, and noted that the initiative would boost the manpower in the health sector in the state.

He said that the administration had concluded plans to conduct market survey to enable it purchase equipment for its hospitals.

In another development, no fewer than 1,391 candidates sat for the Nigerian Army 74 Regular Recruits (Course RR 74) pre-screening examination in Jigawa.

Alhaji Babandi Saleh, the Permanent Secretary, State Directorate of Guidance and Counseling Board, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Dutse on Monday.

Saleh said the examination was conducted on October 3, at the Jigawa State Polytechnic, Dutse, adding that it was one of the recognised centres for the exercise.

He explained that the examination was an innovation by the Nigerian Army before its zonal screening in Kaduna, which would lead to the eventual enlistment of successful candidates into the Nigerian Army.

According to him, the directorate advertised the sale of the online application form following state government’s directive.

The permanent secretary said the agency had taken proactive measures to ensure that candidates from other states did not use the state’s indigeneship to gain entry into the Army.

He noted that the Directorate had written to the 27 local government areas of the state informing them of the exercise and urged them to render assistance to candidates in their areas.

He said all elected representatives from the state, both state and federal, political appointees and well meaning individuals had been urged to support and sponsor candidates.

He added that the call was to ensure that reasonable number of the state indigenes were recruited into the Nigerian Army.

Saleh said the state government had supported and encouraged the Directorate to ensure total utilisation of the state’s quota by bona fide indigenes.

The effort was aimed at reducing the high unemployment rate and avoid moral and vices in the state.

•Photo shows Governor Badaru.