Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin has awarded postgraduate scholarships to 85 indigent students to pursue Master of Science (MSc) degrees in various cutting-edge fields at Bayero University, Kano (BUK).
Barau presented admission letters to the beneficiaries of Batch A of his Domestic Postgraduate Scholarship Programme at the Amani Event Centre yesterday in Kano.
Through his Barau I. Jibrin Foundation (BIJF), the beneficiaries will pursue MSc programmes in Cybersecurity, Solar Energy Technology, Software Engineering, Climate Change, Information Technology and Natural Resources Management, among other disciplines.
Barau described human capital development as the sine qua non (essential) for any society’s progress, stressing that Nigeria was no exception.
‘Investing in education, skills acquisition and advanced knowledge is essential to building a skilled workforce capable of addressing contemporary challenges and driving sustainable development. ‘I will continue to strive to ensure that our youths, particularly those from Kano North, are empowered through education to become productive and useful members of society.
‘The number one driver of economic development is human capital development. If you build the youth, you build the nation,’ he said.
The Deputy Senate President also announced that ABU, Zaria; the University of Ibadan (UI); the University of Lagos (UNILAG); Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife; and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), had been selected as beneficiary institutions for the second batch of his domestic postgraduate scholarship programme.
Explaining the rationale behind selecting universities outside Kano for the second batch, Barau said the beneficiaries would gain more than academic qualifications, as exposure to different environments and cultures would broaden their knowledge and perspectives.
‘My reason is this: I believe that when they travel out of Kano to Nsukka, Ibadan, and other places to study, they are not only learning the programme they have enrolled in; they are also adding more feathers to their caps.
‘They will have the opportunity to experience a different society and learn how people live their lives. When they return, they will have gained much more because travelling is also part of education,’ he said.
The Deputy Senate President also announced the donation of laptops to all scholarship programme beneficiaries to support their academic pursuits.
The Provost of the university’s School of Postgraduate Studies, Prof. Tijjani Hassan Darma, praised Senator Barau for his commitment to supporting education through the scholarship and other initiatives.
‘On behalf of Bayero University, we appreciate his consistent sponsorship of students. This is not the first batch. He has done this on several occasions, and many students have benefited. This has set him apart,’ the provost said.
Thousands of indigent students have benefited from both domestic and foreign scholarship programmes of the Deputy President of the Senate as part of his sustained commitment to human capital development and the advancement of Kano State and other parts of the country.