In a historic stride for education and human capital development, Distinguished Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno, Chief Whip of the 10th Senate and Senator representing Borno North, has awarded fully funded international scholarships to 11 science graduates drawn from across the senatorial district.

This marks the first legislature-facilitated foreign scholarship initiative in Borno state.

The groundbreaking intervention, known as the M.T. Monguno Foreign Scholarship Programme, was designed to uplift Northern Borno, a region long battered by the scourge of insurgency.

The scheme complements the tireless efforts of Governor Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum in rebuilding the state through education, empowerment, and infrastructural renewal.

The beneficiaries, carefully selected through a competitive process, all graduated with Second Class Upper degrees in STEM courses and excelled in a rigorous aptitude test supervised by an independent committee.

They will undergo a two-year Master’s programme in India, with one year dedicated to coursework and another to research, culminating in the award of MSc degrees in key science and technology fields.

Valued at hundreds of millions of naira, the programme covers visa processing, documentation, tuition for two academic sessions, monthly upkeep allowances, laptops, and research support.

It represents a comprehensive package aimed at ensuring the students not only study but thrive in their academic pursuits abroad.

Speaking on the initiative, Senator Monguno reaffirmed his commitment to empowering the youth of Northern Borno through qualitative education and sustainable human capital investment.

He emphasised that education remains the most powerful tool to rebuild lives and communities ravaged by conflict, adding that the programme would be sustained annually to give more young people similar opportunities.

“This is not just about sending students abroad; it is about equipping Northern Borno with the skilled manpower it desperately needs to recover and prosper. By investing in our brightest minds, we are investing in the future of our people,” Monguno declared.

The initiative has been widely hailed as a bold and visionary step that will not only transform the lives of the beneficiaries but also set a new standard for legislative impact in education.