The Katsina State Governor, Dikko Umaru Radda, has approved the sum of N372,051,176.00 as bursary allowances for 24,452 continuing students across the 34 local government areas of the state.

The Executive Secretary of the State’s Scholarship Board, Dr. Aminu Salisu Tsauri, who disclosed this in a statement yesterday, said the gesture underscored the governor’s unwavering commitment to education and human capital development.

He said since the inception of Governor Radda’s administration, the government has disbursed N637,924,516.00 to 47,935 students (2020/2021 fresh and 2021/2022 continuing) and N544,207,748.00 to 37,802 students (2021/2022 fresh and 2022/2023 continuing).

He added that the Radda-led government has also distributed N744,102,352.00 as bursary allowances to 50,438 students (2022/2023 fresh and 2023/2024 continuing) in order to boost education and drive sustainable development.

He reiterated that the state government has perfected plans to grant approvals for the 2024/2025 local scholarships for 12,609 fresh students and special scholarships for students with special needs.

Tsauri, in the statement, stated: “With these interventions, the total number of beneficiaries now stands at an unprecedented 174,461 students – a phenomenal achievement that cements Katsina State’s status as a trailblazer in educational empowerment across Nigeria.

“The Scholarship Board is making all necessary arrangements to ensure seamless and timely disbursement of the newly-approved bursary funds, while continuing to work under the gracious guidance and far-sighted leadership of His Excellency.

“Beyond local support, Governor Radda has lifted Katsina State to the global stage by sponsoring students from all the 34 LGAs to study abroad in highly specialized and competitive fields:

“Artificial Intelligence at Xi’an Shiyou University, China; Bioengineering at Xuzhou University of Technology, China; and MBBS (Medicine and Surgery) at Nahda University, Beni Suef, Egypt.”

Describing the educational interventions by Governor Dikko Umaru Radda as remarkable achievements, Tsauri said his administration is not merely keeping pace but leading the nation in prioritizing education and shaping a knowledge-driven future.

The Katsina State Government had revealed plans to build 152 homes for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Jibia Local Government Area of the state to alleviate their accommodation challenge.

The State’s Governor, Dikko Umaru Radda, disclosed this during a closed-door “power-packed consultation on security and governance” at the Government House on Sunday evening.

In a statement jointly signed by the State’s Commissioner for Information and Culture, Dr. Bala Salisu-Zango, and the Director-General, Media, Maiwada Dammallam, Radda said security tops his development blueprint.

The statement reaffirmed Radda’s administration determination to provide business support packages, cattle, and industrial tools for repentant bandits to prevent violence relapse.

“The governor announced plans for 152 IDP homes in Jibia for displaced families, plus business support packages, cattle, and industrial tools for repentant individuals preventing violence relapse,” it read.

The statement further quoted Governor Radda as acknowledging criticisms while emphasising openness to constructive feedback in order to tackle the security and other challenges besetting the State.

In his opening remarks, the Deputy Governor Faruk Lawal, said the state government has created 35,903 jobs spanning diverse sectors, including teacher recruitment, ward head appointments and engagement of community watch members.

He disclosed that the Katsina State Urban Renewal project covering Daura, Funtua and Katsina senatorial districts has gulped ₦74.9 billion.

He explained that the state government had constructed 160 new classrooms, rehabilitated 258, trained 18,000 teachers and established three model schools across the three senatorial zones of the state.

According to him, 152 schools were upgraded under AGILE projects, exam fees fully settled, and a whopping N6.18 billion awarded in scholarships to 174,451 students, including overseas sponsorships.

Lawal revealed that the energy sector recorded N3.84 billion worth of solar mini-grids completion, 74 km of solar streetlights installation, high-tension power line restoration and community-level transformer upgrades.