Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has approved the sum of N212,916,700 for the immediate payment of entitlements of students from the state studying in Uganda, Sudan and Niger Republic.
Similarly, Governor Tambuwal has appointed a committee to verify and settle all issues related to the payment of scholarship to Sokoto students in various institutions of higher learning across Nigeria.
A statement issued in Sokoto on Wednesday by Tambuwal’s spokesman, Malam Imam Imam, said the release of the funds was part of government’s continued commitment to provide quality education to its citizens at home and abroad.
A breakdown of the figure shows that the sum of N163,400,000 has been released for payment to students in Sudan, while those in Uganda will get the sum of N26,840,000. For those in Niger Republic, the sum of N22,676,700 has been released for their upkeep.
“So far, the government has paid more than N2.5 billion as scholarship to indigenes of the state since May 2015.
“For state students in other foreign tertiary institutions, payment is being worked out by the government, and disbursement will commence as soon as issues related to forex acquisition has been sorted out,” the statement added.
On issue of settlement of scholarship for students in Nigeria, the statement said Governor Tambuwal has approved the establishment of a committee that will “ensure effective settlement of all the outstanding payments to tertiary institutions in the country.”
The committee, to be chaired by Ambassador Abubakar Shehu Wurno, has two retired permanent secretaries, Bello Ibrahim Gusau and Halliru A. Muhammad, as members.
Other members include the Director General of the state Scholarship Board, Murtala Muhammad; the Principal of State School of Midwifery, Tambuwal, Hajiya Rukayya Sani Rara; Ibrahim Abdullahi Shuni of the Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto; Malam Nura Harande Mahe and Ibrahim Umar Tureta.
The rest of the members are Nasiru Aminu Bazza; the President of the Federation of Sokoto State Students Association, Sirajo Abdullahi; Mufida Hamza, a student in the Faculty of Law, Usmanu Danfodio University Sokoto, and Abubakar Bello Silame, the Director of Administration in the State Specialist Hospital, who will serve as secretary of the committee.
The statement added that the committee, which has three weeks within which to complete its assignment, has the following as its terms of reference:
i) Verify all sponsored students of Sokoto State origin in tertiary institutions in Nigeria;
ii) Verify all state indigenes, who applied for State Scholarship;
iii) Establish the cost implication of the sponsored students per institution;
iv) Establish amount paid and owed institutions per academic session;
v) Any other information that will help the state government in redressing the issues/problems of sponsorship and payment.
