Ndume empowers 1, 000 students in Borno
Senator Mohammed Ndume (APC/Borno) on Sunday inaugurated the Ndume Education Trust Fund, a scheme to support the education of 1, 000 students from Southern Borno, currently studying in various tertiary institutions in the state.
Sen. Ndume, who disclosed this during the inauguration of the fund at the El-Kanemi hall in the University of Maiduguri, said the gesture, is to mark his 60th birthday and to enable him impact positively on the lives of the people of his constituency.
He said that the benefitting students were drawn from the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID), Ramat Polytechnic, Borno state University, Kashim Ibrahim College of Education, School of Nursing, and College of Agriculture among others, adding each of the students would receive N10, 000 under the fund.
“We have already collected the BVN number of each of the beneficiaries. Your Excellency, we are expecting that if the information you gave is correct that on Monday at most, all the beneficiaries will get their N10, 000 each because the system is computerised.
“My background is what is guiding me in doing this. Right now, we also introduced a project for our mothers in the various local governments.
“Right now, my wife is in Biu, empowering 600 women and 100 of them will benefit from grinding machines so that they can help themselves. 500 women will also get N10, 000 each as empowerment to start up what they can do to help their families among others.
“Mostly, we randomly selected those selling bean cake, local beverages and others doing petty trading on the streets for the empowerment programme.
“I discovered that the Trader Moni of N5, 000 given by the federal government makes a lot of difference and changes the life of some people. Therefore, I decided to do the same, this is the second batch in which I selected 100 women to be given N5, 000 each.
“We also selected 500, 40 from each of about 101 wards in Southern Borno, focusing on widows and vulnerable women in dire need and empowered them with N10, 000 each to make a difference.
“Also men are not left out; right now we are empowering 675 of them in the nine local government areas with N10, 000 each to embark on viable business.
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“The beneficiaries comprise of 100 each from Gwoza, Askira Uba and Biu, 75 each in Shanni, Hawul and Damboa, 50 each from Bayo, Kwaya Kusar and Chibok while the disbursement has commenced,” said Ndume.
Borno state Governor, Babagana Zulum, commended the senator for his efforts aimed at adding value to social and economic life of the people of the state.
The governor who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Usman Jidda-Shuwa, said that “in the last two years, the dynamic interplay of certain factors occasioned by Boko Haram phenomenon has inevitably pushed us to the cross road of life.
“It turns out that education is the key to toward addressing the various challenges confronting us and the key toward guiding our children to make a better life and saving future for themselves.”
