National
Zulum Commissions Second Chance School, Disburses N1bn to SMEs
By: Adamu Aliyu Ngulde
Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, on Thursday commissioned a fully remodelled Second Chance School for vulnerable girls and women in Biu Local Government Area.
The school is designed to provide adult women who missed formal education or dropped out due to social and security challenges with opportunities for self-reliance.
Its curriculum focuses on skills acquisition, basic literacy and numeracy, as well as digital knowledge aimed at improving employability and entrepreneurship.
With the inauguration of the Biu centre, the state government now operates three Second Chance Schools, with similar facilities already functioning in Maiduguri and Bama.
In a related development, Governor Zulum disbursed N1 billion to small and medium-scale enterprises across five local government areas in southern Borno.
The benefiting councils are Biu, Hawul, Shani, Bayo and Kwaya-Kusar, with the funds intended to strengthen businesses and promote economic recovery.
Zulum said supporting SMEs through direct funding was critical to grassroots development and post-insurgency recovery in the state.
The governor also ordered the immediate employment of 200 youths from Biu Local Government Area to address unemployment and reduce youth restiveness.
During the visit, Zulum toured the Biu Specialist Hospital and approved the automatic employment of volunteer health workers who have been serving at the facility.
He further inspected the ongoing construction of a 100-unit teachers’ housing estate in Biu, aimed at attracting and retaining qualified teachers, and directed the immediate rehabilitation of the Borno State Hotel Annexe in the town.
