From Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin Kebbi
The Kebbi State Government under its scholarship programme has sponsored 117 students to three universities in India for various courses.
The students, whose parents and relatives attended the farewell ceremony held in Birnin Kebbi ahead of their journey to India via Abuja, were selected by a team headed by the Commissioner for Higher Education, Prof Muktar Umar Bunza.
Addressing the students, Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu charged them to be good ambassadors of the state and Nigeria while they get to their various universities.
‘This is not the first time the state is sponsoring students abroad. It has happened in the previous administration. What is different is that, despite the challenges of economic, we have been able to mobilise some money. And with the approval of our House of Assembly, we are able to send this set of students abroad,’ the governor stated.
‘Just as the Deputy Speaker has said, despite other challenges, education remained on our top priority and mobilising these students abroad is one of the priorities we have made promise to the people of Kebbi state and it is top of our agenda.
‘So, I congratulate the Commissioner for Higher Education and his team for working so hard in the selection, securing admission for these students despite COVID 19 restriction and others. Today’s, we are good to go,’ he said.
Governor Bagudu, who cleared the air on the motive for sending the students to study abroad, said it was not an acknowledgement that Nigeria’s higher institutions are not good.
According to him, ‘let us be very clear, that sending these children abroad, it is not an acknowledgement that we don’t have good schools in Nigeria. Sending these children to schooling abroad doesn’t suggest those studying in Nigeria are anything less.
‘Education is universal; at all times you want your ambassadors across the world so that as they are studying abroad they could also observe what that society is doing differently which could be of help and enriched our society.’
The governor urged the students to be their brothers and sisters keeper’s, work hard, be disciplined and be good ambassadors of the state and Nigeria.
Earlier, Commissioner for Higher Education Prof Muktar Umar Bunza commended the administration of Bagudu for the breaking record achievement.
He disclosed that from 2015 to 2020 over N5 billion has been expended on the education sector, with the highest being expanded in the 2018-2019 academic session with about N922 million for the payment of students studying in various higher institutions.
Commissioner Bunza added that apart from those departing from Nigeria to India today in batch A, others would be going to Ukraine to study medicine and Sudan, respectively.