By Tina George, Minna
“This is a very good development. With this, people within the zone now have the opportunity to write their JAMB examinations, they do not need to travel to Minna. This will drastically reduce travelling risk and will also increase the number of students that will write JAMB”
Niger state governor, Abubakar Sani Bello has commissioned a 500 computer equipped Information and Communication Technology (ICT) center in Kontagora, to celebrate his father’s 80th birthday.
According to the governor, the ICT Center, which is the fifth recognised by JAMB for Computer Base Test (CBT) in Niger state, was built by the Sani Bello Foundation to provide students in Kontagora with the opportunity to write CBT for JAMB and other examinations and it is , the Governor disclosed.
He said that the center was also built by his father to reduce the spate of students being abducted while travelling to Minna, the state capital to write JAMB CBT and other examinations.
Speaking at the commissioning, Bello noted that the center would boost the number of students who would gain admission into tertiary institutions as the Kontagora region is known for having less experts in specialized fields like law, medicine, and engineering because of the inability to write JAMB examinations which are not computer based.
“This is a very good development. With this, people within the zone now have the opportunity to write their JAMB examinations, they do not need to travel to Minna. This will drastically reduce travelling risk and will also increase the number of students that will write JAMB”.
Bello commended his father for his unrelenting and philanthropic gestures through his foundation called on other members of the society to support government in developing the education sector.
He stated that the development of the education sector is a long time investment which requires the collective efforts of government and private individuals.
The Governor’s father, Colonel Sani Bello said that he established the ICT centre to enable young people in the zone compete favourably with other youths from other zones of the state adding that it would also reduce the risk involved in travelling long distances to write Computer Based examinations.
The Director General of the Sani Bello Foundation, Dr Zakari Ikani said that the center is equipped with a generator, and solar power and is also connected to electricity from the distribution company saying, “under normal circumstances, we shouldn’t have a power failure.”
He said that the foundation would open up the center for private agencies and organizations to hold conferences and conduct their recruitment examinations.