Don seeks ‘massive’ scholarship drive for Muslim students

A university teacher, Dr Saheed Sanusi, has lamented the poor disposition of Muslims to education, saying the situation has seen them taking the back seat in the scheme of things.

To reverse the “ugly trend” in the country, the don called on well-meaning individuals and organisations to embark on massive scholarship drive for Muslim students at various levels of education.

He noted that such would allow Muslim students to overcome economic barriers and motivate the weak but talented ones in their pursuit of academic excellence.

Sanusi, a lecturer in the Department of Agricultural Economics, Federal University, Gashua, Yobe State, made the remarks in Abuja at the annual scholarship award ceremony of the Standard Bearers Islamic Organisation (SB).

He said: “When we look at the population of Nigeria, the number of Muslims who are educated is horrible. From the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) statistics, over 13.5 million Nigerians, over 80 percent of whom over are females, are out of school. Muslims are in the majority in this negative category.

“The scenario of educated children in Nigeria is like a pyramid. Muslims occupy the bottom. From primary to secondary and then the tertiary levels, the percentage of Muslims dwindles. The most disheartening thing is that this is the trend up to the labour market.”

He described education as an effective way to liberate humanity from the myriads of challenges it is confronted with, especially in the contemporary world.

Speaking on the topic, ‘Importance of Scholarship’, the don stated that education had the potential to transform lives and should, therefore, be embraced by all and sundry.

The university teacher also identified insecurity, poor awareness, lack of interest and lack of patriotism as factors that had accounted for low turnout of Muslim children in educational institutions.

In his goodwill message, the chairman of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Abuja and District Society, Alhaji Abdurrasheed Balogun also bemoaned the involvement of some Muslims in social vices, stating that such acts negate the preaching of Islam.

He congratulated students whose high level of conduct and academic performance had earned them scholarship from the Standard Bearers Islamic Organisation.

He, therefore, charged them to channel the scholarship to rigorous study and research towards making a meaningful impact in life.

Balogun commended the SB for the initiative and urged other Muslim organisations to rise up to the challenge of building solid academic foundation for Muslim youths.

The mother of the day, Hajiya Hauwa Kulu, who is the General Manager, Key Accounts of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), stated that she was elated to see a large number of females among the award recipients, noting that it signaled the beginning of a new attitude to female education, especially in the Northern part of the country.

She added that the contributions of females to the development of any nation could not be over-emphasised

At the scholarship award ceremony, the second in the series in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, by the SB, 29 students were awarded scholarship for various levels, while 50 others went home with consolation prizes.

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