Gov. Mai Mala Buni of Yobe on Tuesday launched the disbursement of financial incentives, micro-enterprise grants and empowerment materials to thousands of beneficiaries across the state.
Buni said the programme covered financial incentives for 32,382 girls, micro-enterprise grants for 1,500 grassroots beneficiaries and empowerment materials for 340 women.
The governor said the 32,382 girls benefited from over N1.2 billion under a project conceived in partnership with the World Bank in 2024 through the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE).
According to him, the initiative has begun to yield positive results in the education sector, particularly in promoting girl-child education.
“This project aligns perfectly with the policy thrust of our administration, which accords top priority to education as the foundation for progress and development,” Buni said.
He listed reforms undertaken by the administration to include mass recruitment of qualified teachers, training and retraining of teachers, reconstruction and renovation of over 5,000 classrooms, establishment of 13 mega and model schools, provision of teaching and learning materials, and payment of WAEC and NECO fees for public school students in the state.
The governor added that nine Senior Girls Day Secondary Schools were established across the state to reduce dropouts and ensure smooth transition to senior secondary education for girls.
Buni also launched the disbursement of N300 million micro-enterprise grants to 1,500 beneficiaries from the displaced community of Mallam Dunari in Gujba Local Government Area.
He said the intervention was part of efforts to promote recovery, stabilisation and durable solutions for communities affected by insurgency and displacement.
The governor noted that the programme complemented ongoing investments in agriculture and infrastructure in Gujba LGA, particularly in Goniri community, where health facilities, water projects and solar streetlights had been provided.
In addition, the state government, through the Ministry of Women Affairs, empowered 340 women selected from the 17 local government areas with vocational materials to improve their economic status.
He said the women would receive cooking gas, micro-ovens, mixers and bags of flour as part of activities to commemorate the International Women’s Day.
Buni urged beneficiaries to make judicious use of the support to justify the confidence reposed in them.
Earlier, the AGILE State Project Coordinator, Malam Abdullahi Bula, said the financial incentives were targeted at female students from economically disadvantaged homes to enable them remain in school.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Dr. Muhammadu Goje, said each beneficiary from Mallam Dunari would receive N200,000 after undergoing business training to restart or expand micro-enterprises.
