A Philanthropist, Dr Dauda Lawan-Dare, has sponsored 120 Zamfara indigenes to study various degree programmes at the Iheris University, Togo.
The sponsorship was made through his foundation, known as Dr Dauda Lawan-Dare Foundation.
Presenting the admission letters to the students on Sunday in Gusau, the Chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC) Yari-led faction, Alhaji Lawal Liman, described the occasion as unique and important.
Liman said it was unique because, since the creation of the state, this was the first of its kind for an individual to sponsor such a large number of youths to study different courses in a university outside the country.
“This is aimed at contributing his quota to the development of the state and the nation at large, more importantly taking into cognisance that our educational sector is in shambles and to some extent neglected.
“As part of Lawan Dare humanitarian support and social interventions, we gathered here to witness another great milestone of youths and women empowerment of the philanthropist to include sponsorship of 120 indigenes of the state, provision of water and construction of mosques.
“I can vividly, therefore, note that the gesture is in line with the mission of our leader Abdulaziz Yari, who even after leaving office continued to support people of the state to ease their suffering in various sectors of human endeavour.
“This philanthropic intervention is directly addressing goals 1, 2, 4, 5, 8 and 10 of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which clearly addresses ignorance and illiteracy, youths unemployment, poverty and hunger,” Liman said.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Foundation, Alhaji Garba Yandi, said the foundation had made a careful selection of the 120 students across the 14 local government areas of the state.
He said all the beneficiaries were children of less privileged people who cannot afford to finance their education.
Yandi added that the students would undergo first-degree programmes in various disciplines including computer engineering, information technology, public administration, international relations, human resources management and computer science.
He said all arrangements have been concluded for the take-off of the students in two weeks’ time. (NAN)
