Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Zulum has announced scholarship to female indigenes who scored 250 and above in the 2025 Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
Governor Zulum announced this on Saturday at the inauguration of new executive of the Maiduguri Chapter, Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN) and scholarship programme to 12 female students by the wife of the governor at the Government House in Maiduguri.
The governor assured that his administration will continue to support the girl child education and sponsor more women to study medical and technical education.
“In order to encourage girl child education in the state, I want to announce that all female indigenes of the state that have scored 250 and above in JAMB would be sponsored by the Borno State Government to either study Technical/Vocational Education or Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) courses,” Zulum announced.
The governor directed the acting Chief of Staff, the state scholarship board, Ministry of Education and APWEN to identify and screen those that met the criteria to benefit from the scholarship.
He commended his wife for the scholarship programme and congratulated the outgoing and incoming chairperson of APWEN for their commitment towards promoting the engineering profession.
In a paper titled: “The role of Mentorship in Encouraging Girls to pursue Engineering Careers in Nigeria,” the wife of the governor, Dr Habiba Babagana Zulum, emphasised that mentosrship was a tool for personal and professional development.
He noted that women in Nigeria make only 14% of STEM workforce, stressing that excluding more than 50% of the population in nation building was counter-productive.
“Mentorship is critical to shaping the minds and future of upcoming generations, identify inspiring role modelling, breaking stereotype, guidance and support, overcoming obstacles, building confidence and skills, critical thinking and creativity, networking and opportunities, access to resources and opportunities as aspects that encourage mentorship,” Dr Habiba stressed.
Outgoing Chairperson of APWEN, Engr. Kori Shettima said the association has worked tirelessly to create a platform that fosters innovation, mentorship, advocacy and collaboration with the aim of paving the way for future generations of female.
“I am proud of the progress we have made, the lives we have touched and the young minds we have inspired. Our advocacy for girl child education in STEM has been a beacon of hope, illuminating paths to a brighter future,” Kori stated.
