The Jigawa State government has paid over N101million as a subsidy for the accommodation fees of the state intending pilgrims at the Holy Land.
The executive secretary of the state Pilgrims Welfare Board, Sani Alhassan Muhammad, revealed this in an interview with LEADERSHIP WEEKEND in his office, stating that the state government has paid a total sum of ?700 Saudi Riyals worth of accommodation subsidy to each of the 3,170 intending pilgrims for the 2011/2012 Hajji exercise.
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He explained that the accommodation subsidy was in addition to free feeding that would be given to all intending pilgrims throughout their stay in the Holy Land.
Alhaji Muhammed maintained that a thorough screening had been made during the seminars in all the designated centres in the state for pregnant women, the aged and those with health challenges.
In another development, the state government has approved the establishment of a College for remedial and advance studies to meet up with the demand created by the educational development experienced in the state.
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The state commissioner for Information, Youth, Sport and Culture, Alhaji Babandi Ibrahim Gumel, revealed this while briefing journalists on the outcome of the state’s executive council meeting.
He said the executive council also approved the location of the collage at Jahun town of the Jahun local government, and had directed the state Ministry of Education to form a committee that would be saddled with the responsibility of putting the modalities and legal framework for the commencement of the collage session within one year.
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The commissioner explained that the establishment of the collage was informed by the growing number of students enrolled and graduated from secondary schools as a result of the ongoing revitalisation of the state educational sector which started since the inception of the incumbent state government in 2007.
The state commissioner of Education, Prof Haruna Wakili, stated that if the collage takes off would give opportunity to students who have deficiency in their secondary school results to undergo remedial studies that will qualify them for enrolment into university and other tertiary institutions.
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The college is expected to also offer advance studies like the Interim Joint and Matriculation Board courses (IJMB) for students to gate direct entry into 200 Level at any university.