By Adamu Yusuf
The Kaduna State Government has pledged to partner the Rabi’atu Memorial Foundation an orphanage school to promote education and youth empowerment across the state.
Governor Uba Sani made the pledge at the opening ceremony of the foundation’s orphanage held at TUC Estate, Millennium City, Kaduna.
Represented at the event by the Commissioner for Education, Professor Abubakar Sani Sambo, the governor said the orphanage would complement the state government’s efforts in providing free and quality education, particularly for vulnerable and orphaned children.
He disclosed that the state government would direct the Kaduna State Universal Basic Education Board to liaise with the foundation to identify critical areas where government support would be required.
Governor Uba Sani also called on well-to-do individuals to emulate the initiative, noting that such philanthropic efforts would contribute to poverty reduction, youth empowerment, and the fight against insecurity.
Earlier, the Founder and the Proprietor of the foundation and Jagaban Magajin Garin Katsinan Gusau, Alhaji Saifullah Babangida, said the initiative was established in memory of his late mother, Rabi’atu, praying that the rewards of the project would be a source of continuous benefit to her.
He explained that the current orphanage location is temporary, adding that plans are underway to construct a permanent site.
According to him, the permanent facility will combine formal education with vocational training in areas such as farming, carpentry, and welding.
Alhaji Saifullah Babangida said the foundation currently caters for 50 students, with a target of 200 beneficiaries.
He noted that the children were selected from different states—Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, Taraba, and Borno—ten from each state, with most of them having lost one or both parents.
Alhaji Saifullah Babangida, added that the foundation provides full welfare support for the children, including feeding, accommodation, school uniforms, clothing, and other basic needs.
Although he is from Katsina State, Babangida said he chose to commence the programme in Kaduna due to the state government’s commitment to education development and tackling insecurity.
In his remarks, the Director-General of the Kaduna Geographic Information Service, Alhaji Bashir Garba, commended the initiative, describing it as a laudable contribution to human capital development in Kaduna State.
In an interview with Radio Nigeria Kaduna, a former Special Assistant on Digital Communications to late President Muhammadu Buhari, Bashir Ahmad, has commended a philanthropist, Alhaji Saifullah Babangida, for establishing an orphanage in honour of his late mother, Hajiya Rabi’atu Babangida.
Bashir Ahmad described the initiative as timely and impactful, especially in addressing the growing number of out-of-school children in northern Nigeria.
He said while government efforts in the education sector are commendable, there is a need for collective responsibility, particularly from well-to-do individuals, to complement such efforts.
According to him, stakeholders with the means should invest in education by establishing schools or supporting existing ones, especially for orphans and other vulnerable children, noting that access to education is key to addressing insecurity and promoting national development.
Bashir Ahmad called on wealthy Nigerians to emulate the gesture, urging them to give back to their local communities, either by setting up similar initiatives or supporting ongoing educational projects.
He also offered prayers for the repose of the soul of Hajiya Rabi’atu Babangida and prayed for the successful realisation of the objectives of the orphanage project.
