2027: Sokoto Students Unveil Campus Ambassadors For Tinubu, Aliyu

The JAGABA/Ahmed Aliyu Students’ Mandate 2027, Sokoto State Chapter, has unveiled campus ambassadors to mobilise students across higher institutions in the state in support of President Bola Tinubu and Governor Ahmed Aliyu ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The initiative, inaugurated on Thursday, is aimed at establishing a network of student representatives to engage their colleagues on government policies, education programmes and youth empowerment opportunities.

Speaking at the event, the convener, Comrade Bashar Muhammad Silame, said the initiative was designed to strengthen engagement with students and create awareness of interventions by the federal and Sokoto State governments.

Silame said the group’s support for the two administrations was informed by what it described as achievements in education and youth development.

“We are launching a movement that will engage students on the achievements recorded in education. Our Campus Ambassadors will take this message to campuses, engage fellow students and ensure that young people are properly informed about the interventions affecting their education and future,” he said.

Highlighting the federal government’s interventions, Silame identified the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) scheme as a major reason for the group’s support for Tinubu, claiming that more than 1.6 million students had benefited from over N322 billion disbursed across institutions.

He also cited the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programme, which targets the training of more than one million young Nigerians across 1,600 centres.

The convener further commended the Tinubu administration for ending the prolonged strike in the university system, as well as providing a framework for improved remuneration, research funding and working conditions for university staff.

He also highlighted approvals for Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) infrastructure projects and research grants for tertiary institutions nationwide.

On the state government’s performance, Silame said Aliyu had introduced several interventions across basic, secondary and tertiary education since assuming office on May 29, 2023.

He recalled that the governor declared a state of emergency in the education sector shortly after taking office and subsequently signed an amended Right to Education Bill into law, making basic education an enforceable right for children in the state.

According to the group, Sokoto has consistently allocated at least 26 per cent of its annual budget to education, exceeding the UNESCO-recommended benchmark.

It also cited a September 2026 assessment by the Federal Ministry of Education, which reportedly ranked Sokoto among the five best-performing states in basic education following an assessment of pupils in 100 schools nationwide.

The group said the state government constructed two new junior secondary schools in each of the 23 local government areas between August 2023 and January 2024, alongside four additional schools in the state capital.

It added that the administration constructed 147 classrooms, renovated 142 others and provided 208 VIP toilets, while broader rehabilitation projects covering 1,760 primary schools and 180 junior secondary schools had recorded more than 85 per cent completion.

Other interventions highlighted include the establishment of three mega model schools across the state’s senatorial districts, three Digital Almajiri Schools in Kware, Dange-Shuni and Wamakko, and the Sokoto All Girls Science Academy.

On school enrolment, the group said more than 800,000 children had been enrolled or returned to school since 2023 through government campaigns targeting out-of-school children.

It also cited the launch of the Adolescent Girls’ Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) project, a dedicated students’ bus service, the recruitment of 2,000 teachers for secondary and nomadic schools, and the payment of examination fees for eligible students sitting for WAEC, NECO, NABTEB and NBAIS examinations.

In tertiary education, Silame highlighted the state government’s expenditure of N6.79 billion on local and foreign scholarships, tuition and students’ upkeep between May 2023 and September 2026.

He also commended the administration for clearing inherited tuition debts, including N555 million owed to Usmanu Danfodiyo University and outstanding fees at 12 foreign universities in Sudan, Ghana and India.

The group further noted that the government resettled 72 Sokoto students evacuated from conflict zones in Sudan and Ukraine.

It also cited the National Universities Commission’s resource verification approval for 24 new degree programmes at Sokoto State University in August 2026, including Medicine, Pharmacy, Nursing Science, Cyber