Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, has approved the release of N1.649 billion to settle outstanding scholarship obligations for 300 orphans of Counter-Insurgency Volunteers and other students.

The Executive Secretary of the Borno State Scholarships Board, Dr Bala Isa, disclosed this during a press conference in Maiduguri on Tuesday.

He said the funds would cover the 2024/2025 scholarship awards for eligible students in tertiary institutions within Nigeria and abroad.

He said the approval covers tuition and accommodation for 272 Borno medical students at the Federal University of Health Sciences, Azare; tuition for 34 MBBS students at Al-Ansar University, Maiduguri; and school fees for 60 students of the Nigerian Institute of Leather Science and Technology, Zaria.

The package also includes six months’ allowances for Nursing College students under the state scholarship scheme, school fees for 300 orphans of Counter-Insurgency Volunteers, return airfares for 133 postgraduate STEM graduates and 39 PhD STEM scholars in India and Malaysia, as well as return tickets for 104 undergraduate scholars studying in China.

Dr Isa described the approval as a strategic investment in the state’s future rather than a routine financial commitment.

He assured beneficiaries that the board had begun the administrative processes for the timely disbursement of the funds directly to institutions, beneficiaries and service providers in line with government procedures. (Daily Trust)