The scholarship focused on students in critical fields such as Medicine, Engineering, Law, and Technology.
By Deborah Hassan
365Daily – Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, on Friday disbursed N5 billion in scholarships to 30,000 students from the North-West geopolitical zone, in a major educational intervention held at the Federal University of Education, Zaria.
The scholarship, ranging from N200,000 to N800,000 per student depending on their course of study, is aimed at covering tuition fees, books, and stipends for students in tertiary institutions.
Of the beneficiaries, 7,000 are from Kaduna State, while the remainder are from Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, and Zamfara states.
The event, marked by jubilant scenes as students received payment alerts during the ceremony, also featured the announcement of a new modern orphanage to be built in Zaria.
The Speaker described the orphanage as “a project that is very close to my soul,” aimed at providing care and education for orphans and abandoned children.
Speaker Abbas, who started his career as a teacher, described the initiative as the most ambitious in the region’s history and aligned it with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
He emphasised that the scholarship focused on students in critical fields such as Medicine, Engineering, Law, and Technology.
“This scholarship is not just free tuition or a stipend – it is an opportunity and a responsibility,” Abbas told the beneficiaries, urging them to work hard and become worthy ambassadors of their communities.
The disbursement was facilitated by the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) in partnership with Microvis Microfinance Bank. Dignitaries at the event included the Kaduna State Governor’s representative, the Speaker of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, the Minister of Environment, SMEDAN DG, and other top officials.
Speaker Abbas also highlighted other educational initiatives in his constituency and beyond. These include the sponsorship of WAEC, NECO, and JAMB fees for 6,000 students in the 2023/2024 academic year and 8,000 students for the 2024/2025 academic year. He noted that over 110 primary schools and 40 secondary schools have been renovated, with more upgrades underway.
He revealed that seven new federal institutions have been secured for Zaria under the 2025 budget. These include a Federal College of Agriculture, a Federal Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Institute, a Federal Technical College, and a School for the Disabled, among others.
The Speaker also referenced the ongoing ₦80 billion Education Village project in Zaria, which will host four new tertiary institutions, including a campus of the National Open University and a College of Nursing and Health Sciences.
Abbas expressed gratitude to President Tinubu and Governor Uba Sani for their support, as well as his constituents for electing him to the House for a record fourth term.
The Kaduna State Governor, represented by Alhaji Rabiu Yunusa, thanked the Speaker for his efforts, recalling that Abbas once sponsored his education.
Other dignitaries also gave goodwill messages, commending the Speaker’s commitment to education and community development.