By Abdulkareem Haruna

GAJIGANA, Nigeria — Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, has announced a gift of N250,000 (about $330) to the parents of 90 female students who were among the first to enroll their children in a newly built secondary school in the remote village of Gajigana.

The governor made the donation shortly after cutting the ribbon for the commissioning of Government Day Secondary School, Gajigana. He has expressed concerns about the region’s poor school enrollment since the Boko Haram insurgency began in 2013, which has forced schools to close in 10 local government areas in northern Borno.

“I hereby direct the commissioner of education to compile the list of the students that are currently in the classrooms and each their parents would be given the sum of N250,000 for allowing their children to enroll in secondary school,” Zulum said.

The governor who had earlier commissioned an ultra modern  48-classroom mega school
Higher Islamic College —  one of 20 integrated education centers being built across the state,  commended the parents for their “courage and determination” in allowing their daughters to continue their studies beyond the basic level.

Zulum said his administration has built 140 mega schools, each with about 40 classrooms, across the state. He said his administration would focus on northern Borno for the remainder of his term, as the ongoing conflict prevented him from doing so during his first tenure.

Zulum commissioning Higher Islamic College Gajigana

Governor  Zulum had also offered a life scholarship to nine teenage schoolgirls who rendered a special poem on the benefits of western education during the commissioning of the Higher Islamic College, Gajigana.

According to the Borno State Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology and Innovation Dr. Abba Lawan Wakilbe, Zulum’s government has delivered on its campaign promises by investing massively in education. The commissioner called on the people of Gajigana to “key into the government agenda of advancing education in Borno; it is now left for you to enroll your children into the schools.”

To encourage enrollment, Zulum said his government would not only make education free, especially for girls, but also introduce a free meal program in the Higher Islamic Schools. He added that his administration would engage with various stakeholders, including clerics, traditional leaders, and parents, to make education more attractive. The governor said his administration has deployed “deliberate policies that are balanced in ensuring that education renaissance is achieved in accordance with his ten years strategic action plan and 25 year development agenda.”