Three junior secondary school students, who did their state proud after emerging victorious at a national mathematics competition, are yet to receive the N250,000 gift promised each of them by Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
The female students – Bilkisu Hamza from Government Girls Secondary School (GGSS) Rano Dawaki, Humaira Yusuf from GGSS Mairo Tijjani and Safiyya Abdulrahman from GGSS Madobi – became instant celebrities in their communities after taking the first, second and third positions in the competition.
Read Also: IsDB supports Kano with N74m for livestock vaccination
The competition organized by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), held recently in Abuja
Dateline Nigeria gathered that the schoolgirls earlier won at state and zonal levels before repeating the same feat at the national stage in Abuja.
At the nation’s capital, the girls performed better than all the other finalists from across the country, taking home with them gold, silver and bronze medals.
While commending the students, the state’s Commissioner of Education, Sanusi Sa’idu Kiru, said the victory by the female students was a clear indication that the state had potentials in its public schools.
“This is an achievement that we need to be proud of because it came at a time when we focus more on girl child education and also free and compulsory primary to secondary school education in the state,” he said while receiving the students.
He then promised to present the three girls to the Governor Ganduje during the state’s Executive Council Meeting with a view to encourage them to work harder and also motivate their colleagues to put more efforts in their studies.
At the meeting with the governor, which had in attendance, parents of the winners, at the Africa House conference hall in the government house penultimate Friday, Ganduje commended the girls and presented them with the same medals they had brought from Abuja.
After decorating them, the governor promised each of the students a cash gift of N250,000 as the state government’s expression of happiness over their achievement for the state.
As the students and their parents left the hall, Kiru assured to send them the money as soon as it was made available by the state governor.
Over a week after Ganduje’s promise, Dateline Nigeria reliably gathered that the students have not received the governor’s gift.
“They have not seen one kobo from government and if they are not lucky enough, the promise is the last thing they would hear about the cash gift,” a source close to the matter said.
But some traditional rulers and local government officials have gone a step ahead to make the girls relish their victories. The emir of Rano, Alhaji Kabiru Muhammad Inuwa, on Wednesday received one of the students who is from his domain at his palace and gave her a cash gift of N20,000 and a bundle of wrapper, in the presence of her parents.
Read Also: Kano police arrest cattle rustler with two AK47 rifles
Similarly, the chairman of the local government council, is organizing an event to honor the same student at the premises of her secondary school next week, Dateline Nigeria also gathered.
Contacted, the education commissioner said they are looking forward to getting the governor’s approval for the release of the money on Tuesday.
“You know after the governor’s pronouncement it was our responsibility to follow it up with the necessary paper work. And the governor just returned from a function in Niger Republic, while Monday is a public holiday. Hopefully by Tuesday the governor will approve and we will do the needful,” Kiru said.
