Jigawa govt sponsors 184 students to Cyprus, India for medical studies

The Jigawa State Government has sponsored 184 students to continue their medical studies at Near East University in Cyprus and Integral University in India. Officials said the initiative is part of the administration’s “human development agenda” aimed at addressing the shortage of qualified medical doctors, particularly female doctors, in the state. Some of the beneficiaries, […]

The Jigawa State Government has sponsored 184 students to continue their medical studies at Near East University in Cyprus and Integral University in India.

Officials said the initiative is part of the administration’s “human development agenda” aimed at addressing the shortage of qualified medical doctors, particularly female doctors, in the state.

Some of the beneficiaries, who were on holiday in Jigawa, spoke to reporters at the airport as they prepared to return abroad after the government sponsored their vacation.

Nura Illiyasu, one of the 160 students studying medicine in Cyprus, said: “We are grateful to His Excellency for sponsoring our flight tickets, feeding, and other expenses. Without this support, it would have been impossible for us to return home for the holidays and go back to continue our studies.”

Another beneficiary, Yusuf Murtala, also studying in Cyprus, described the programme as “more than a scholarship. We have no problems with school or with government support. Everything is going smoothly.”

The Executive Secretary of the Jigawa State Scholarship Board, Saidu Magaji, explained that the government had released over N4.1bn to cover tuition fees and living allowances for the students.

Magaji said the state signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the universities and also entered into a bond agreement with the students, requiring them to return and serve the state upon graduation for the same number of years they spent in school.

“The idea is to build human capacity. With more hospitals being established in the state, we need competent doctors to work in them. That is why the government has invested heavily in medical education abroad,” he said.

While most of the beneficiaries are medical students, about 15 non-medical students, many of whom were evacuated from war-torn Sudan, are also being supported.