In a remarkable display of personal commitment to education, former Kano State Governor and Kwankwasiyya Movement leader, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has revealed the personal sacrifices he made to sustain a major scholarship initiative. The revelation came during the first annual convention of Kwankwasiyya scholars, which brought together over 300 PhD holders who benefited from the programme.
Personal Assets Sold to Sustain Education Legacy
Addressing the historic gathering in Kano, Senator Kwankwaso recounted how he took decisive action after the 2019 general elections. Government sponsorship for foreign students was discontinued at that time, threatening to derail the educational ambitions of hundreds of young people from Kano State.
Faced with this challenge, Kwankwaso explained that he turned to his personal holdings. He sold several of his properties, including plots of land in Lagos, Kaduna, Sokoto, and Adamawa states. The proceeds from these sales were channeled through the Kwankwasiyya Development Foundation (KDF) to sponsor 370 young men and women for overseas studies.
"I realised I had properties I no longer needed," Kwankwaso told the assembled scholars. "I sold them and used the proceeds to sponsor these young minds from Kano State to study abroad." He described education as the most enduring legacy any leader can bequeath to society, emphasizing that sustained investment in human capital is the true benchmark of good governance.
A Quarter-Century of Human Capital Development
The convention marked a milestone for a scholarship scheme that has run for nearly 25 years. According to available records from the Kwankwasiyya Scholars Assembly, the programme's impact is vast and multifaceted. Before the 2019 personal intervention, the initiative had already sponsored over 3,000 students to study in 14 countries across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East within a four-year period.
The output of this long-term investment is impressive. The programme has produced:
- Hundreds of medical doctors and specialists serving in teaching hospitals in Nigeria and abroad.
- Scores of pilots and aviation professionals.
- Thousands of engineers, ICT experts, and technologists.
- Academics and researchers, including the over 300 PhD holders present at the convention.
- Pharmacists, architects, economists, lawyers, public policy experts, and development practitioners working globally.
Dr. Mansur Hassan, the National President of the Kwankwasiyya Scholars Assembly, hailed the programme as "the most unprecedented scholarship programme Nigeria has ever witnessed." He noted that several tertiary institutions in Kano and neighbouring states would face serious academic challenges without the contributions of Kwankwasiyya scholars.
From Grassroots to Governance: A Call to Service
Beyond funding education, Kwankwaso outlined the foundation's broader objective: tracking beneficiaries, mentoring them, and integrating them into public service and national development. He urged the highly educated beneficiaries to engage in grassroots politics and resist elitism.
"That is why we decided to engage you politically—at ward, local government, state, zonal and, by the grace of God, national levels, for those who are interested," he stated. He issued a caution against allowing advanced degrees to create distance from the people. "It is not fair for someone with a PhD or master’s degree to feel too big to serve at the ward level," Kwankwaso warned.
Expressing his long-term vision, the former governor voiced optimism that the programme would eventually produce a scholar-governor and, in the future, a scholar-president. He commended the current Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, for appointing several programme beneficiaries as commissioners, advisers, and senior aides.
The event, which was detailed in a statement signed by Dr. Mansur Hassan and made available to journalists in Kaduna, also featured award presentations to Kwankwaso and heartfelt testimonials from beneficiaries. Kano State Deputy Governor, Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, praised the scheme as one of the most impactful human capital development initiatives in Nigeria's history.
