Niger State governor, Umar Bago has called for the reactivation of the government scholarship programme for public schools to give hope to society’s less privileged children.
Mr Bago made the call on Thursday in Abuja at the inauguration of General Ibrahim Attahiru Foundation Tertiary Education Scholarship Scheme.
He said many of the country’s leaders today passed through public schools with scholarships, adding that he enjoyed free education from primary to secondary school.
The governor promised to support the foundation’s scholarship programme, with an additional 50 beneficiaries to make up the initial 100 beneficiaries for the maiden scholarship programme into any Nigerian Federal University.
“As Bago, I have a foundation, and I will collaborate with you. I am raising the number from 50 to 100 because we value education. It means our school and scholarship system must be reactivated to give people hope,” he said.
Mr Bago, who charged the youths to have dreams, added that the dream of the late Attahiru made the family keep his legacy moving by supporting the needy.
He commended the chief of army staff, Taoreed Lagbaja, for agreeing to collaborate on the noble initiative and assured that the Nigerian Governors Forum would also support it.
“So, we will continue to collaborate with these kinds of initiatives, not just the Nigerian Army but also beyond. We must give the children of the deceased and retired military officers a reason to live,” he added.
The scholarship scheme is an initiative of the family of the late chief of army staff, Ibrahim Attahiru, who died in a plane crash on May 21, 2021.
The scheme is to assist children of serving and veterans of the Nigerian Army in their quest for education.
Already, 50 students drawn from the command secondary schools across the six geopolitical zones were offered scholarships at the inaugural launch of the foundation on Thursday in Abuja.
