Nigeria’s first female Appeal Court President launches scholarship for 50 girls in Gombe
No fewer than 50 girls from Nafada Local Government Area of Gombe State are expected to benefit from scholarship of Zainab Bulkachuwa, immediate past president court of appeal.
The scholarship is through her initiative ADDA Girl Education Foundation (AGEF), geared towards supporting beneficiaries with quality education, mentoring as well as career path.
According to Bulkachuwa, given the number of girls in the state, empowering them had become crucial, stressing that the foundation would enable the girls realise the potential and power of education.
She said, “In this light, the ADDA foundation has selected 50 girls from Nafada Local Government as its set of scholars.This is just the first phase of the scholarship scheme. We intend to select girls from the three senatorial zones of the state, Balanga and Akko also.
“The girls were selected across all levels of education; primary, secondary, and tertiary.We will support them with school supplies, tuition fees, breakfast and monthly stipend, mentoring, internship and job placement. We will ensure that an ‘ADDA girl’s gets the best education to reach the height in her career.”
The retired jurist revealed that she may be out of service but not tired from making positive impacts to humanity, saying, “this opportunity to give back to my society after active service, I may be retired but not tired.”
The Chairman of the occasion, and Former Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Dr. Aliyu Modibbo lauded the scheme, while enumerating the essence of educating the girl-child.
He stressed that so much were required to ensure that both boys and girls enjoyed quality education.
Modibbo said, “The endowment should not just end in education but to the career of the girls.”
On her part, Presiding Judge Appeal Court of Gombe Hannatu Sankey, in her key note address said requisite laws were needed to protect the girl child.
Sankey, urged states of the federation including Gombe to domesticate the child rights act, noting that it would protect them.
She said, “Girls must feel safe to attend school and do so joyously and passionately in order to excel and impact positively in the developmental strides of Nigeria. I will call on states that make up the federation, which are yet to domesticate the child rights act to do so without delay to better protect the rights of the girl-child in Nigeria.”
Sankey continued adding, “The girl-child, where properly nurtured and mentored, is usually courageous, determined, committed, tough and talented. Therefore, we need to give them a chance and create the right environment for them to flourish.”
