Barau Awards MSc Scholarships to 85 Indigent Students, Donates Laptops

• Deputy Senate President expands postgraduate scheme to five varsities

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Jibrin Barau, has awarded postgraduate scholarships to 85 indigent students to pursue Master of Science (MSc) programmes in emerging and technology-driven disciplines at Bayero University, Kano (BUK).

Barau, who presented admission letters to the beneficiaries of Batch A of his Domestic Postgraduate Scholarship Programme in Kano on Monday, also announced the donation of laptops to all the beneficiaries to facilitate their academic work.

The scholarship programme, implemented through the Barau I. Jibrin Foundation (BIJF), covers several specialised fields, including Cybersecurity, Solar Energy Technology, Software Engineering, Climate Change, Information Technology and Natural Resources Management.

A statement by his Media Aide Ismail Mudashir on Monday said Barau, speaking at the presentation ceremony held at Amani Event Centre, Kano, the described human capital development as fundamental to national progress, stressing that investment in education and advanced knowledge remained critical to building a productive workforce.

He said Nigeria needed a skilled and knowledgeable population capable of responding to contemporary challenges, promoting innovation and driving sustainable development.

He said, “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.

Barau also disclosed that five additional universities had been selected for the second batch of the domestic postgraduate scholarship programme.

The institutions are Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; University of Ibadan; University of Lagos; Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife; and University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

He explained that extending the scholarship scheme beyond Kano was intended to expose beneficiaries to different academic environments, cultures and social experiences, which he said would enrich their intellectual development.

According to him, studying outside their immediate environment would enable the students to acquire broader perspectives and experiences beyond their chosen academic disciplines.

“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 reaffirmed his commitment to using education as an instrument for empowering young Nigerians, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

In his remarks, the Provost of the School of Postgraduate Studies, Bayero University, Professor Tijjani Hassan Darma, commended Barau for sustaining his support for postgraduate education and providing opportunities for students who might otherwise struggle to finance their studies.

Darma said the senator’s intervention had benefited several students over the years, describing the scholarship initiative as a sustained contribution to educational development.

“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,” he said.

The statement added that thousands of indigent students had benefited from Barau’s domestic and foreign scholarship programmes, which form part of his interventions in human capital development and educational advancement in Kano State and beyond.