Minister of Environment Mallam Balarabe Abbas Lawal has awarded scholarships to 450 students of tertiary institutions across the 23 local government areas of Kaduna State under the Balarabe Abbass LAWAL Needs Based Scholarship initiative.
The initiative is part of the minister’s needs-based scholarship programme. It is tailored to provide financial assistance to students from low-income families, ensuring they have the resources to complete their education without undue financial hardship.
Speaking via Zoom during the award ceremony held in Kaduna on Monday, Mallam Balarabe described the programme as the beginning of a broader effort to uplift Kaduna’s youth. “This is just the start, and more developmental interventions are on the way to support the students of Kaduna State,” he said.
The minister added that the scholarship program was designed to alleviate the financial burden of education and inspire beneficiaries to excel academically and contribute meaningfully to their communities.
In his remarks, Kaduna State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Muhammad Sani Bello, expressed delight over the programme, which he described as an unprecedented act of kindness by a public servant from Kaduna State.
“This initiative is a historic and novel gesture we have not witnessed before. These deserving students were carefully selected, and I congratulate them while urging other public officials and well-meaning individuals to emulate this noble example,” he said.
Also speaking, Prof Yahaya Ibrahim Saleh, Executive Secretary of the Kaduna State Scholarship and Loans Board, commended the initiative for addressing the educational challenges many students in the state face.
He highlighted Kaduna’s unique challenges, including conflicts that have resulted in displacement and hardship, leaving many students in dire need of support.
“Kaduna State has one of the highest enrollments in education, yet many students face significant financial barriers. This scholarship is a timely intervention to bridge the gap, and it demonstrates the minister’s commitment to providing practical solutions to these challenges,” Prof Saleh said.
The scholarship programme covers tuition fees until graduation and requires beneficiaries to maintain a minimum GPA of 2.5 or 3.0 to remain eligible. The transparency of the selection process, which included students from all 23 LGAs, was widely lauded.
Among the beneficiaries were Shagaya Benjamin Maikori, a 300-level Physics Education student of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), and Sim Catherine Emmanuel, a Social Welfare student from Kaduna Polytechnic, who expressed appreciation to the minister, stressing that the scholarship will go a long way to assisting them.
Dignitaries at the scholarship award programme include the commissioner for education, Kaduna State, Prof Muhammad Sani Bello, Hon. Ray Rayyan Hussaini, chairman of Kaduna South LGA, Dr Manzo Daniel Maigari, chairman of Kachia LGA, Dauda Iliya, chairman of Kudan LGA, the executive secretary of the Kaduna State Scholarship and Loans Board, Prof. Yahaya Ibrahim Saleh, and the chief of staff to minister of environment, Barr. Mansur Salanke.
Deputy Chief of Staff Administration, Kaduna State Government, Alh. Umar Waziri. Hon. Muhammad Ali, former Kaduna State House of Assembly member, Hon. Engr. Aliyu Idris Ibrahim immediate past chairman Zaria LGA, Alh. Shuaibu Mai Canter, SLA to Speaker House of Representatives, among others.
