By Biddin Abubakar.
Cerebral, focused, and result-oriented, this humble intellectual who sits atop one of the leading educational institutions in Borno, the prestigious Maiduguri Capital School, is one-of-a-kind. Engr. Lawan Abba Wakilbe is a well-grounded school administrator. Schooled at Government Collage Maiduguri, a graduate of Civil and Water Resources Engineering, completed it all with prestigious University Of Maiduguri. His petite appearance understates his status as an intellectual. Having left the apex of his career as an Engineer to embrace a new role as a school administrator.
Engr. Wakilbe, a shining light as the executive director of Maiduguri Capital School, situated in the heart of Borno State Capital.
He’s a well-grounded school administrator with education that cuts across the state and also passionate about grooming leaders.
Retracing his steps back to the classrooms isn’t accidental because he came from a family of educationists. His mother is the owner and director of Maiduguri Capital, a family business, which Engr. Wakilbe runs over 25yrs after taking over from his mother.
Engr. Wakilbe’s bunch of experiences in the education sector paved a way for his appointment as the Special Adviser on State Universal Basic Education (SUBEB) to former Governor Kashim Shettima, now Vice President-Elect. His talents and experience in Education sector gave him a good footing to be best and aim for the best, which makes Governor Babagana Umara Zulum appoint and makes him a Commissioner of Education for two consecutive time.
Under his watch as Education Comissioner, he restructured the education sector and as well outperformed all those that came to the officer before him.
Under Governor Babagana Umara Zulum and Engr. Wakilbe as Commissioner for Education, Zulum’s administration achieved the following in the education sector.
Returned eleven rural schools to their original locations, which were destroyed for years.
Building of Mega Schools; he constructed 626 classrooms across 145 Schools, and he provided 562 conveniences in 284 schools.
Paid minimum wage of N30,000 to 5,824 teaching staff of Loccal Education Authority (L.E.A).
Built 64 fully furnished Teacher’s Quarters in Maiduguri, Banki, and Mafa Local Government Areas.
Recruited over 800 Teachers and still advertised for more recruitment of teaching staff.
Provided over 30,000 school furniture.
Paid scholarship to tertiary students in Borno.
Some Education Secretaries and teachers were given brand new Peugeot 406 cars with one million naira each for their selfless services and sacrifice.
Procured 231,000 sets of 6 numbers of science textbooks for students across Senior Secondary Schools, 435,225 sets of 4 numbers of primary schools textbooks and still ordered the provision of 200,000 sets of 6 numbers of Arts and Business Studies textbooks.
Enhanced the feeding programme in all boarding schools and still introduced one meal per day to all rural day Secondary Schools while 19, 000 Primary pupils are fed with one square meal a day as well.
Governor Zulum and Engr. Wakilbe through another initiative which is Adolescent Girl Child Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) Project injected Two Billion Six Hundred and Eighteen Million, Four Hundred and Ninety Thousand, Nine Hundred Naira (216, 618, 490, 900) as large school improvement grant to 108 schools across Borno State for proper and efficient management.
Additionally, Fourty Five Million Naira (N45,000) will be given to 9,903 vulnerable and less privileged girls for the 2022/2023 Academic Session.
If as an Engineer as Wakilbe, he can achieve/record such a huge success, then he absolutely proved himself to be a versatile individual and let’s His Excellency continue given him more chance to show much versatility as he can.
A resource person like Engr. Wakilbe is a great blessing to Borno State and Nigeria as a whole.
