Why we are raising N25 bn appeal fund for education in Yobe – Lawan

By Musa Baba Adamu

The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan on Saturday explained the rationale behind the 25 billion naira education appeal fund by the government and people of Yobe State.

Lawan said the idea was to reposition the education sector in the state and avail the children of Yobe State particularly the indigent ones the opportunity to go to school and become useful to themselves and the society at large.

The Senate President spoke at the Yobe State Education Fund Raising which held in Abuja on Thursday.

Lawan who is also an indigene of Yobe State said the situation in his State was good until the insurgents struck and caused an incalculable damage in the state.

“In the Northeastern state before the former Borno State and presently Yobe State, we received support from government for our education.

“I didn’t have to pay anything to be in primary school. Infact I was given something. My parents were encouraged to send me to school.

“In secondary school, we were given everything. Our uniforms free. Our books free. Feeding and everything free. That was when the resources were available to really accommodate those necessities.

“The population has increased, of pupils and students, and the resources are dwindling. Now we have to look for our friends, our well wishers to come to our aid.

“Asking for help is part of the work. We recognise that we need to, first of all at home, task ourselves and collect something before we go outside of the state.

“Like the Governor said, this is one very important sector in our lives that we cannot run away from talking to you our friends, the friends of our states for help.

“I didn’t come from a rich or wealthy family and many of us here have come from families that are simply there, not wealthy enough.

“But because our states, at that time, intervened to give us the support that we needed to go to school, stay in school, by the Grace of God, we are reaping the benefits. And that is what we want to achieve by raising 25 billion naira and actually the 25 billion naira is not going to solve all the problems but definitely it will reposition our education sector better.

“It is not only Yobe that will benefit from this because a challenge in any part of Nigeria is a challenge in every part of the country. If we are able to deal with our educational challenge in Yobe, we are not the only people to benefit from the educated people in our state.

“Today you have many Yobeans working in different parts of the country. Infact, in different parts of the world but they are of course, indigenes of Yobe,” Lawan said.

The Senate President commended the State Governor, Mai Mala Buni for initiating the idea.

Lawan assured the donors that the donations would be “very prudently applied, very responsibly utilised” and expressed the hope that “at the end of the day, we will like to see a situation where our standing in the educational chat of Nigeria will be an obvious testimony of this event that we have been able to bring everybody together to support the educational development of Yobe State.”