By Abba Alkali Goni
Education can change individual lives, strengthen families and transform entire societies. For Borno State, which has endured years of insurgency, it also offers a path towards recovery and a more secure future. Rebuilding schools and public infrastructure is essential, but the state must equally invest in the people who will run its institutions, deliver essential services and drive development.
This is the broader significance of Governor Babagana Umara Zulum’s foreign scholarship initiative. Beyond giving young people access to higher education, the programme seeks to develop the skills and expertise Borno needs to rebuild. Its long-term value, however, will depend on how effectively beneficiaries apply what they have learnt to the challenges facing their communities.
The question is not simply how many students the government has sponsored abroad, but what their education will ultimately contribute to the development of Borno.
Education as a Path to Recovery
The Boko Haram insurgency disrupted education across Borno, destroying schools, displacing teachers and students, and forcing many young people to abandon or interrupt their studies. The consequences extended beyond the classroom, affecting the development of the skilled workforce needed to sustain public services and economic activity.
Recovery requires more than rebuilding physical structures. Hospitals need qualified medical personnel, universities need capable lecturers, and infrastructure projects require trained engineers and technicians. Without skilled people, even the most impressive reconstruction projects cannot deliver their full benefits.
Against this background, the Borno State Government has sponsored hundreds of students for undergraduate and postgraduate studies in countries including China, India, Egypt and Malaysia since 2023. Their fields of study include medicine, engineering, science and technology, disciplines relevant to the state’s development priorities.
In August 2026, 294 scholars returned home after completing their studies abroad. The state government also reported that more than ₦8.61 billion had been invested in overseas scholarships since 2023, with another ₦2.65 billion approved to support students continuing their studies abroad.
These figures reflect a considerable financial commitment. For beneficiaries, the scholarships provide opportunities that might otherwise have remained beyond their reach. For Borno, they offer a means of developing the professional expertise needed to strengthen public institutions and support recovery.
From Foreign Degrees to Local Opportunities
One encouraging development is that some of the Master of Science (M.Sc.) graduates who studied in India are already working at the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID), while others are expected to be absorbed into other higher institutions, including Kashim Ibrahim University.
This is an important step towards translating the state’s investment in overseas education into practical benefits. The graduates working at UNIMAID can contribute to teaching and research, while those who join other institutions will have opportunities to support academic development and mentor future professionals.
Their experience abroad may also introduce new perspectives and research methods into the university system. Such contributions matter in a state where higher institutions have an important role to play in developing the next generation of skilled workers.
The potential benefits extend beyond universities. Medical graduates can strengthen healthcare delivery, engineers can support infrastructure development, and agricultural specialists can contribute to food production and rural livelihoods.
To maximise these benefits, the government should work with universities, hospitals, research centres and other employers to identify skills gaps and create suitable opportunities for qualified graduates. Keeping track of beneficiaries’ employment and professional progress would also help establish whether the programme is meeting its objectives.
The experience of the M.Sc. graduates illustrates an important point: scholarships deliver greater public value when the education they provide is matched by opportunities to contribute.
What International Education Can Offer
Studying abroad provides more than a qualification. Students encounter different teaching methods, research facilities, technologies and professional practices. They also have opportunities to learn how other societies approach problems and organise their institutions.
For Borno, the value lies in adapting this knowledge to local needs. Graduates can draw on their international experience to improve professional practice, strengthen research and develop solutions suited to the state’s circumstances.
However, studying abroad does not automatically guarantee professional excellence. The quality of training, the effort invested by students and the opportunities available after graduation all matter. The strongest results will come when international education is connected to clearly identified development needs.
Connecting the Initiative to SDG 4
The scholarship programme also relates to Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4), which calls for inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all.
The goal is not merely to increase school enrolment or university graduation rates. It is to ensure that people acquire the knowledge and skills they need to improve their lives and participate meaningfully in society.
In this respect, overseas scholarships are valuable, but they represent only one part of the educational challenge facing Borno.
Children in rural communities may struggle to access quality schooling because of inadequate facilities, teacher shortages, poverty or the effects of displacement. If these barriers are not addressed, many will never have the opportunity to pursue higher education, whether at home or abroad.
Investment in scholarships must therefore go hand in hand with improvements in primary and secondary education, teacher training and learning facilities. Technical and vocational education also deserves attention.
Borno needs doctors, lecturers, engineers and researchers, but it equally needs electricians, mechanics, ICT professionals, agricultural specialists and skilled artisans. A strong education system should provide different pathways through which young people can develop their abilities and contribute to the economy.
The broader challenge under SDG 4 is to ensure that quality education is accessible at every level, rather than concentrating opportunities at the top while foundational learning remains weak.
Investing in Specialised Skills
Governor Zulum’s education initiatives extend beyond foreign scholarships. In 2026, his administration approved a ₦12.9 billion scholarship programme for 54 young people to study aeronautics and engineering, with beneficiaries selected from all 27 local government areas of Borno State. The government has also supported doctoral scholarships for academic staff of the University of Maiduguri.
These initiatives reflect the importance of specialised training and a strong university system. Scholarships in aeronautics and engineering create opportunities for young people to pursue technical fields, while doctoral training can strengthen university teaching and research.
However, the long-term benefits depend on the quality of training and the availability of opportunities to use the skills acquired. Scholarship planning should therefore reflect the state’s workforce needs and the capacity of its institutions to employ qualified professionals.
Transparency is equally important. Publishing clear information about beneficiary selection, expenditure, completion rates and post-graduation outcomes would allow the public to assess the programme’s effectiveness and help the government improve future decisions.
Education and the Future of Borno
For many young people who grew up amid insecurity and displacement, access to higher education represents more than academic achievement. It offers an opportunity to pursue ambitions that years of conflict may have placed beyond reach.
The scholarship initiative sends a message that the circumstances in which young people grow up need not determine their future. But that promise must be supported by a functioning education system and realistic opportunities for employment and professional development.
The employment of some India-trained M.Sc. graduates at UNIMAID, alongside plans to absorb others into institutions such as Kashim Ibrahim University, offers a practical example of how educational investment can benefit local institutions. Building on this progress will require continued cooperation between government, universities and other employers.
At the same time, the state must ensure that younger students receive the quality of education needed to follow similar paths. Supporting a postgraduate scholar abroad and improving a child’s learning conditions in a rural primary school are different interventions, but both contribute to the same long-term objective.
For a state recovering from insurgency, roads, hospitals and other infrastructure remain essential. Yet their lasting value depends on the people who build, manage and maintain them. Education helps provide the skills, judgement and professional capacity required to make reconstruction sustainable.
Governor Zulum’s foreign scholarship initiative offers an opportunity to strengthen that capacity. Its success should ultimately be measured by the quality of education beneficiaries receive, the opportunities available to them after graduation and the contributions they make to Borno’s development.
The promise of SDG 4 is not simply that more people will earn degrees, but that education will equip them to improve their lives and help build a better society.
About The Author
