Governor Babagana Umara Zulum on Thursday shared N734m alongside books and grains in thousands of bags to over 4,945 traditional Islamic schools referred to as ‘Sangaya’ in Borno State, and more famously called ‘Almajiri’ system across Nigeria. 

The 4,945 schools were drawn from across the 27 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Borno State. 

The support came from Better Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA) through a collaboration with Borno State Universal Basic Education Board (BOSUBED) and Borno State Arabic and Tsangaya Education Board (which regulates the almajiri schools). 

The distribution took place at the Ramat Square in Maiduguri and it was attended by thousands of Sangaya and Islamiya teachers and students. 

Governor Zulum made a symbolic presentation of cheques bearing the grants to beneficiaries.

The funds were to improve conditions of learning at benefiting Sangaya schools in Borno State.

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Zulum explained that about 190 Islamiya and Sangaya centres, each of them with over 400 students, were allocated N300,000, 527 centres with between 201 to 400 students received N250,000 each; 2,540 centres with between 51 to 200 students received N150,000 each while 1,649 centres with 50 students and below, each received N100,000. 

Besides the monetary support, each of the 4,945 Sangaya schools benefited from 6,330 bags and cartons of food which comprised of over 2,000 bags of rice, 1,100 bags of maize, 850 cartons of Spaghetti, 1,600 cartons of Macaroni, 480 gallons of groundnut oil and 300 gallons of palm oil.

Aside food, other materials were distributed and they included 29,480 copies of the Holy Quran, 1,800 copies of Hadith, 30,068 pieces of mats, 112,892 sets of school uniforms, 41,300 mosquito nets, 8,100 pieces of slades (allo), 424,896 pieces of exercise books and 450 packs of pencils.

Other items included 12,300 copies of books 1, 2 and 3 (Bintu wa Dal) Kanuri language textbooks, 69,300 copies of a textbook (Mukoyi Karatu Da Rubutu), 8,100 Kanuri mathematical textbooks, (Kitwu Isawube Fuwurawabe) and another 11,000 Kanuri textbooks called Kitawu Kirabe Fuwurawabe.

Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Board (UBEC), Dr Hamid Bobboyi who was represented by the northeast zonal coordinator, Abdullahi S. Jarma commended Governor Babagana Umara Zulum for his outstanding reform of basic education in Borno.

Executive Chairman, Borno State Universal Basic Education Board (BOSUBED), Prof. Bulama Kagu, and Chairman of Borno Sangaya and Islamiyya Board, Shiekh Arabi Abulfatahi, in their separate remarks, expressed appreciation to the governor, for according special attention to their establishments by approving their respective demands whenever necessary.

The event was attended by the Secretary to Borno State Government, Usman Jidda Shuwa, along with commissioners, special advisers and other top government officials.