Gov. Babagana Zulum of Borno State on Sunday inaugurated the Integrated Tsangaya School in Damboa Local Government Area, aimed at reducing apathy toward formal education.
Zulum also inaugurated the Higher Islamic College in Tolomari and Garjam Junior Secondary School in Damboa.
These two institutions are part of 47 schools built by his administration to address educational challenges across the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Zulum visited southern Borno to assess ongoing projects, oversee policy implementation, and approve new initiatives.
Under Zulum’s ‘Back-to-School’ programme, 2,000 pupils in Damboa received uniforms, textbooks, exercise books, and 500 bicycles to ease their commute to school.
Zulum has completed 17 of the 27 Tsangaya schools promised in 2022 and approved six new projects to support rising primary school graduates in southern Borno.
He noted that establishing higher Islamic colleges is part of his plan to integrate non-formal education into the formal system.
“These colleges are designed to include Tsangaya learners in a curriculum from the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies (NBAIS), combining Islamic studies with modern subjects like science, technology, mathematics, and English,” he explained.
The governor also approved a N50 million grant for the High Islamic College in Damboa to support daily operations and prevent potential setbacks.
During a visit to the nearly completed 75-bed General Hospital in Damboa, Zulum expressed satisfaction with progress and urged the contractor to meet the handover deadline.
Zulum approved six projects, including an ICT centre, a high Islamic college, and the rehabilitation of several schools in Chibok and Damboa.
The governor also met with Brigadier Gen. Rasheed Omolori, Commander of the 25 Task Force Brigade, and Damboa Council Chairman Ali Kauji.
The meeting discussed returning residents to communities like Sabon Gari, Wajiroko, and Sandiya, displaced by insurgents for a decade.
He directed Omolori to prepare a report on security needs and costs for reopening the Damboa-Biu Road, closed for over a decade due to insecurity.
Council Chairman, Kauji thanked Zulum for implementing transformative programmes that have improved security and boosted agriculture in local communities. (NAN)
