From Desmond Mgboh, Kano
In Kano State, stakeholders are rolling out initiatives to uplift competences, skills and knowledge with a view to attaining a competitive workforce and knowledge based economy for the future.
This aspiration played out on Monday, 9th September 2024, when the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, issued admission letters to 70 indigenes of the state for their post graduate studies abroad. The beneficiaries, selected from the three senatorial districts of the state, will pursue Masters degree courses in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Information Security and Cyber Forensic and Robotics Science in reputable universities abroad courtesy of the Deputy Senate President.
Attendance at the ceremony cuts across walks of life and age categories. They included Vice Chancellors and senior academics of several universities in the region, including Bayero University, Kano, Maitama Sule University, Kano, Azman University, Kano, Federal University, Federal University Dutsin-Ma, Kastina State, Federal College of Education, Kano among others. Politicians and relatives of the beneficiaries were also in attendance at the grand occasion.
Addressing his audience, the Deputy Senate President explained that the initiative was one of the cardinal programmes of his foundation, Barau. I. Jibrin Foundation (BIJF).
“The Foreign Scholarship programme has been designed as a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to identify and support the gifted and talented youths from across Kano State to acquire postgraduate degrees in carefully selected fields that will give them competitive advantage to contribute to the socio-economic development of Nigeria,” said the DSP.
Barau admitted that the selection process was seamless, based on merit and had no political attachment or coloration of any sort.
“None of them is personally known to me or related to the organising’s committee members” he declared.
He expressed commitment to youth educational development, describing the young ones as the pillars of societal development while urging the society to support the Federal Government in addressing the challenges of education in Nigeria.
Prior to his remarks, a former Vice Chancellor of Bayero University, Kano, Professor Muhammad Yanusa Bello emphasized the significance of human capacity development. He stressed that human capacity development was a step ahead of physical development in today’s world.
He reasoned that the scholarship in these selected fields was aimed at building a knowledge -based economy for Kano State, saying that artificial intelligence and related areas have since overtaken oil as a source of wealth creation and generation in the world.
“What India has been generating in foreign currency by exporting knowledge (knowledge based economy) is more than what Nigeria is getting from oil in the last ten years. Therefore, these are the foundation of what is needed to develop this country,” he insisted.
Yahuza charged the beneficiaries to take their studies seriously and return home in time to come to impact positively on their respective communities, their state and their country.
“The sponsorship is not a loan from Senator Barau Jibrin, but a loan from the society. It is your duty to seek employment here or anywhere in the world and to use it to help at least one person” he held while adding that that way, they would be perpetuating the spirit of the offer.
The Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman, also extolled the uncommon commitment of the Deputy Senate President towards education in Nigeria.
Represented by the Minister of State for Education, Dr Yusuf Sununu, he confessed that Senator Barau has been a great ‘Ambassador of Education in the land’ recalling his support to the Education Sector during his time as the Chairman, Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETfund in the 8th Senate.
The Managing Director of Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), Akintunde Sawyer also aligned himself with the initiative and its sponsor, stressing that crossing borders in search of quality knowledge was a common practice globally and a step in the right direction.
He appreciated Senator Barau for his intervention and observed that NELFUND would not come to life without the support of the National Assembly and the role of senators like Senator Barau.
Speaking shortly after receiving their admission letters, the beneficiaries thanked their benefactor for his large heart, assuring him of their commitment to graduate from their respective institute of learning with flying colours.
Surajo Nuhu Umar who spoke for the beneficiaries stressed that, “We are really grateful for this gesture. We wish the Senator well in his endeavours.
“I have never gone to any foreign country but now I have the opportunity. The farthest I have gone in pursuit of education is Zaria” he stated.
“We will go and come back but we are assuring everyone, especially our sponsor, that we will commit to what we are sent to do and come back to make him and everyone proud”, he added.
Also speaking, Ahmad Isah Usman said, “We thank God. When I applied for this I didn’t know anybody and we were selected without anyone asking us for anything. I have never been to any foreign country, not even Niger. I have been in Nigeria throughout my life.
Among the female beneficiaries, Mariya Sunusi Abdullahi explained that it was just a trial that came to reality as she first saw the opportunity on the social media and knew nobody in the selection committee.
“First of all, we thank God and the Senator who gave us the opportunity to go and study in a foreign country. I first saw the link going round on social media and I just gave it a try.
“I was shocked when I got it because it was against the norm. I prayed and it is here.
“I have never boarded a flight, the farthest I have gone is Abuja and that was done via a road transportation. All my studies were in Kano State from primary to tertiary education level.
Also, another female beneficiary, Aisha Rabiu Ibrahim said, “I have never gone to any country in my life. I studied at Bayero University, Kano and I have been in Kano all my life except during my youth service year when I went to Sokoto.
“God willing, we will go and study hard not to disappoint anyone, especially the Senator. We shall come back with flying colours.
