Twenty-nine brilliant candidates who scored above 300 marks in Yobe State in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination have reaped a reward of excellence.
A development advocate, Alhaji Kashim Musa-Tumsah, has presented N2.9 million.
Musa-Tumsah, a seasoned lawyer and diplomat, paid each candidate N100,000 for scoring over 300 marks in the recent examination.
Speaking at the occasion in Damaturu on Saturday, Alhaji Suleiman Gimba, the event’s chairman, noted that Musa- Tumsah’s support was a way of rewarding excellence and encouraged others to follow suit.
He said the committee had earlier conducted mock Computer Based Test (CBT) for some candidates to prepare them for the UTME.
Gimba said, unfortunately, none of the candidates they trained got over 300 marks to win the prizes as the winners emerged independently.
The chairman, however, said they would work with the winners to see that more students perform better in the forthcoming UTME in the state.
He announced that Musa-Tumsah, alias KMT, had concluded arrangements to offer scholarship to people living with disabilities in various higher institutions in the state.
In her remarks, Hajiya Adama Balla, the representative of Musa-Tumsah, said the development advocate held education, especially among girls, so dear to his heart.
“For the girls here today, you have proved that investment in girl-child education yields the greatest reward.
“This is because if a girl is educated, she transforms her family community and nation.
“Let no one ever tell you that your place is not in the lecture hall, laboratory or leadership table,” she warned.
Balla commended Gov Mai Mala Buni for declaring state of emergency in education, saying the governor’s projects and programmes in the sector had enhanced teaching and learning.
A beneficiary, Bashir Ajiya of Nigerian Tulib International College, thanked Musa- Tumsah for the prize, which, he said, would ginger him to do more in his future endeavours.
