Jigawa State government says it is investing more than ₦12 billion annually in education, funding bursaries, scholarships, and new infrastructure as part of what officials describe as the state’s most ambitious drive to expand access to learning.
Commissioner for Higher Education, Prof Isa Yusuf, said local and foreign scholarships now cost the state over ₦12bn yearly, including relocating 184 students from war-torn Sudan to universities in Cyprus. He added that bursaries were recently increased by 200 per cent to ease parents’ financial burden.
The state has also acquired Khadija University for ₦11bn, earmarking another ₦8bn to convert it into a Medical and Allied Health Sciences University. Female education has been declared free at all levels, with new hostel facilities built to keep more girls in school.
Jigawa is investing heavily in vocational training, budgeting ₦15bn this year for technical workshops and establishing centres of excellence to provide employable skills in trades such as welding, carpentry, and catering. A ₦350m security response centre has also been launched to monitor schools and strengthen safety.
Prof Yusuf said the government has recruited 147 first-class graduates as lecturers, funded research on flooding and drought, and implemented a new salary structure to stabilise staff welfare. He described the package of reforms as a model for addressing Nigeria’s wider education crisis.
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