Written By: Ahmed Aminu, Dutse
A philanthropist and former lawmaker, Dr. Magaji Da’u Aliyu, has sponsored 22 orphans from Birninkudu and Buji Local Government Areas of Jigawa State to study Community Health Services at the ALU College of Health Science and Technology, Birnin Kudu.
The initiative, designed to bridge the shortage of healthcare personnel in rural communities, drew beneficiaries from the 21 political wards in the Birninkudu/Buji Federal Constituency, with each ward producing one male and one female orphan.Coordinator of the programme, Malam Haladu Maigari, said the benefactor has taken full responsibility for the students’ academic and welfare needs.
According to him, over ₦40 million has been expended on registration and tuition fees for the beneficiaries, who were screened and selected based on merit and their status as orphans.
He added that Aliyu, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has sustained funding for the students from admission to their current level as they near completion of their programmes.
“The beneficiaries comprise 11 males and 11 females. Just this week, he paid their outstanding national examination fees estimated at about ₦15 million,” Maigari disclosed.
Maigari noted that the former member of the House of Representatives, who served between 2015 and 2023, has continued the intervention despite leaving office, describing the gesture as uncommon among public office holders.“This is not a government project.
He initiated and sustained it on his own, even after leaving office. Such commitment is rare,” he said.He further revealed that plans are underway to expand the initiative with a new batch of beneficiaries, expected to surpass the current number.
The programme is widely regarded as a significant boost to human capital development in the constituency, particularly in strengthening the local healthcare system through the training of skilled personnel.
