Borno State Government has approved the immediate release of over N70 million for payment of scholarships for 300 orphans of Civilian Joint Tasks Force (CJTF) members who lost their lives as a result of fighting insurgency.

The governor, Babagana Zulum, disclosed this, yesterday, in Maiduguri, while unveiling the procurement of 1,878 admission forms for the state indigents seeking admission into College of Nursing and Midwifery, Maiduguri.

Zulum, who was represented by the Executive Secretary, Borno State Scholarship Board (BOSB), Bala Isah, said the scholarship payments and admissions of students were the government’s concern and support to the families of those who paid the supreme price in fighting terrorism and banditry.

He said the state would give each of the 300 orphans N200,000, which will cover their tuition fees from primary to secondary school.

Besides, the governor said that the procurement and distribution of admission forms had targeted students from the 27 local councils in the state, adding: “The College admission forms will be procured for 20 applicants in Nursing and 20 in Midwifery.”

In another development, the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, has pledged to empower over 180,000 women out of poverty nationwide through her PET programme, the vocational training project tagged ‘No Woman No Nation.’

National Chairman of the programme, Akintola Oluwasayo Julius, disclosed this while flagging off the programme in Jigawa State.

Akintola said the estimated cost of the project is N10 million per state, covering accrued expenditure on all the targeted 20,000 beneficiaries, which include purchase of chemical and materials for practical purposes in various departments during the training.

Jigawa State Governor, Umar Namadi, while welcoming Akintola to the state, commended the First Lady for initiating the programme aimed at providing gainful employment to teeming women groups and the youths for self-reliance.

He assured the President’s wife that the state government is committed towards improvement of empowerment programmes to its teeming populace at all times.

In her remarks, Jigawa State Chairperson of the programme, Hajia Zainab Pawa, said the primary objectives of the initiative was to empower women economically and health-wise through four cardinal areas, such as education, health, agriculture, and poverty alleviation programmes.