Governor Mai Mala Buni on Monday flagged off the Forum of Yobe State Focal Persons and Project Coordinators Education Empowerment Programme in Damaturu, cautioning beneficiaries not to sell items distributed under the initiative.
The launch, held at the Cultural Centre in Damaturu, featured the rollout of the “Ride for Education” Bicycle and Tricycle Scheme. The scheme is designed to address transportation challenges faced by students across the state’s 17 Local Government Areas.
Represented by the Commissioner for Wealth Creation, Empowerment and Employment Generation, Aji Yerima, the governor said the intervention was focused on improving access to education, especially for students in rural communities.
“This intervention is designed to support your education and ease transportation challenges, especially for students in rural and hard-to-reach communities,” he said.
“It is not meant for sale but to motivate academic excellence, improve school attendance and strengthen inclusive access to education.”
Buni commended the Focal Persons and Project Coordinators for initiating what he described as a grassroots-driven intervention aligned with the state’s education reform agenda.
Chairman of the Forum, Mohammed Babami, said the programme was structured to support ongoing reforms in the education sector.
“Education remains the most powerful instrument of empowerment, social transformation and sustainable development. This initiative is structured to complement ongoing reforms in the sector,” Babami said.
Under the programme, 100 performance-based bicycles will be awarded to outstanding junior and senior secondary school students. The beneficiaries will be selected through transparent and merit-driven criteria.
In addition, 17 tricycles, one for each Local Government Area, will serve as community-based education support vehicles to enhance enrolment and retention.
Delivering a goodwill message, the Executive Secretary of the Yobe State Emergency Management Agency, Mohammed Goje, called for continued partnership among stakeholders.
“We must maintain the tempo of collaboration, transparency and commitment that brought this programme to fruition,” Goje said.
Also speaking, the Forum’s Secretary, Farouk Chiromari, said their appointments came with responsibility.
“Our appointments as Focal Persons and Project Coordinators are a call to greater responsibility and service to the people, and we remain dedicated to supporting government policies aimed at youth empowerment and inclusive development,” he said.
The event attracted government officials, traditional and community leaders, development partners and other stakeholders in the education sector.
