Governor Kefas Revives Scholarship Board, Targets 100 Foreign Scholarships

The Taraba State Government has revived the state scholarship board and announced plans to sponsor 100 students for postgraduate studies in India as part of efforts to strengthen human capital development.

The chairman of the Taraba State Scholarship Board, Mr. Bashir Yakubu, disclosed this in an interview in Jalingo, saying the initiative is aimed at addressing manpower needs in critical sectors of the state’s economy.

Yakubu said Governor Agbu Kefas had restored the operations of the board after years of inactivity, describing it as “moribund” before the current administration came into office.

“Before now, the board was as good as dead. There were virtually no activities going on, but with the coming of Governor Agbu Kefas, the story has changed,” he said.

He explained that the administration had expanded scholarship opportunities beyond state-owned institutions to include students studying in tertiary institutions outside Taraba State.

According to him, the Board is currently compiling and verifying data of Taraba students studying outside the state to enable the government design a targeted intervention programme.

“We have already gathered raw data, but we are in the process of verifying it because government wants reliable data before taking further action,” he added.

Yakubu further disclosed that 100 first-class and second-class upper graduates had already been selected for foreign postgraduate scholarships in India.

He said the beneficiaries would pursue master’s degree programmes in strategic fields such as paramedics, engineering, and computer science.

“They have been selected already and preparations are almost concluded to send them to top universities in India. This is a major achievement that has never been recorded in the history of the state,” he said.

The scholarship board chairman also highlighted the revival of the medical students’ bursary and salary support scheme, noting that the programme had suffered setbacks despite existing since the 1990s.

He said the initiative, now being implemented through the Ministry of Health, was being restored and implemented smoothly under the present administration.

“We are expecting more reforms and rebirth at the scholarship board because the governor has introduced many programmes that will positively impact students in the state,” he said.

Yakubu called on students and residents of Taraba State to support and pray for the governor, describing him as passionate about education and youth development.