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Some beneficiaries of the scholarship scheme put in place by the Nigerian government through the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, have alleged that the commission has abandoned them.

In several chats with PREMIUM TIMES, the scholars who craved anonymity, said they had been subjected to unfair and inhuman treatment by the commission since 2016.

The affected beneficiaries are Masters and PhD students of Niger Delta origin who won the scholarship awards in 2014 and 2015. They alleged that their ordeals started when the leadership of the current NDDC board assumed office in November 2016.

The NDDC is an interventionist agency that was set up to improve the welfare of the people of the oil rich Niger Delta region. As part of its mandate, the NDDC scholarship scheme was set up to improve the manpower capacity of Niger Delta youth by sponsoring them for Masters and PhD programmes in universities abroad.

The beneficiaries were also carefully positioned to study courses considered to be of developmental benefit to the region; such as Engineering, Law, Environmental Sciences, public Health, ICT among others.

In January 2015, the NDDC advertised for scholarship vacancies in several national dailies and on its website. Successful candidates were consequently issued award letters, a copy of which was seen by PREMIUM TIMES.

The value of the scholarship, according to the aggrieved scholars, was put at $30,000. A successful scholar on arrival and registration at the foreign university is expected to ask the university to send an invoice for tuition fees to the NDDC via designated email addresses of officials in the education unit.

According to one of the scholars, “After settlement of tuition fees, the balance left (if any) out of the 30,000 USD is paid simultaneously to the scholar’s bank account in the local currency of the scholar’s country of study.

“A PhD scholarship is worth 30,000 USD per annum for 3 years making a total of 90,000 USD, while a Masters scholarship is worth 30,000 USD for just one year.

“This has been the standard practice since the inception of the scholarship; albeit there are always delays as the NDDC has become very notorious for shabby treatment of her scholars among all national scholarship bodies.”

But some of the affected scholars, in correspondence with PREMIUM TIMES, said the last payments were made in March and August 2016 under the interim management of Ibim Semenitari.

“Scholars were asked to provide invoices from their universities as far back as August 2016 to prevent the usual delays,” they said in the correspondence.

“Sadly, payment was not effected until she was removed and the substantive board led by Sen Victor Ndoma Egba and Mr Nsima Ekere came on board in Nov 2016. The scholarship funds have been set aside in the NDDC budget as stated in the 2015 and 2016 Appropriation Act.”

The aggrieved scholars, however, alleged that they have been labelled ‘ghost scholars’ and ‘PDP scholars.’

At some point in June 2016, they wrote in a jointly signed correspondence to PREMIUM TIMES, the Education Unit asked scholars to send in valid proof of current study status which most of them complied with.

“The MD has granted several press interviews alluding to the fact that he is investigating monumental corruption in the administration of the scholarship,” they wrote.

“Numerous committees have been set up and it seems that they have run out of excuses to pay us our monies. We wonder how long it takes to investigate cases of authentic scholars from fake ones in this time and age when any information is available at the click of an email.”

Our correspondent gathered that some of the PhD scholars have abandoned their programmes due to withdrawal of their student visas as a result of non-payment, while some of the Masters students who completed their studies without the scholarship payment have had their certificates withheld by the university.

Nigerian Govt Has Abandoned Us- NDDC Scholarship Benefitaries

Some beneficiaries of the scholarship scheme put in place by the Nigerian government through the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, have alleged that the commission has abandoned them.

In several chats with PREMIUM TIMES, the scholars who craved anonymity, said they had been subjected to unfair and inhuman treatment by the commission since 2016.

The affected beneficiaries are Masters and PhD students of Niger Delta origin who won the scholarship awards in 2014 and 2015. They alleged that their ordeals started when the leadership of the current NDDC board assumed office in November 2016.

The NDDC is an interventionist agency that was set up to improve the welfare of the people of the oil rich Niger Delta region. As part of its mandate, the NDDC scholarship scheme was set up to improve the manpower capacity of Niger Delta youth by sponsoring them for Masters and PhD programmes in universities abroad.

The beneficiaries were also carefully positioned to study courses considered to be of developmental benefit to the region; such as Engineering, Law, Environmental Sciences, public Health, ICT among others.

In January 2015, the NDDC advertised for scholarship vacancies in several national dailies and on its website. Successful candidates were consequently issued award letters, a copy of which was seen by PREMIUM TIMES.

The value of the scholarship, according to the aggrieved scholars, was put at $30,000. A successful scholar on arrival and registration at the foreign university is expected to ask the university to send an invoice for tuition fees to the NDDC via designated email addresses of officials in the education unit.

According to one of the scholars, “After settlement of tuition fees, the balance left (if any) out of the 30,000 USD is paid simultaneously to the scholar’s bank account in the local currency of the scholar’s country of study.

“A PhD scholarship is worth 30,000 USD per annum for 3 years making a total of 90,000 USD, while a Masters scholarship is worth 30,000 USD for just one year.

“This has been the standard practice since the inception of the scholarship; albeit there are always delays as the NDDC has become very notorious for shabby treatment of her scholars among all national scholarship bodies.”

But some of the affected scholars, in correspondence with PREMIUM TIMES, said the last payments were made in March and August 2016 under the interim management of Ibim Semenitari.

“Scholars were asked to provide invoices from their universities as far back as August 2016 to prevent the usual delays,” they said in the correspondence.

“Sadly, payment was not effected until she was removed and the substantive board led by Sen Victor Ndoma Egba and Mr Nsima Ekere came on board in Nov 2016. The scholarship funds have been set aside in the NDDC budget as stated in the 2015 and 2016 Appropriation Act.”

The aggrieved scholars, however, alleged that they have been labelled ‘ghost scholars’ and ‘PDP scholars.’

At some point in June 2016, they wrote in a jointly signed correspondence to PREMIUM TIMES, the Education Unit asked scholars to send in valid proof of current study status which most of them complied with.

“The MD has granted several press interviews alluding to the fact that he is investigating monumental corruption in the administration of the scholarship,” they wrote.

“Numerous committees have been set up and it seems that they have run out of excuses to pay us our monies. We wonder how long it takes to investigate cases of authentic scholars from fake ones in this time and age when any information is available at the click of an email.”

Our correspondent gathered that some of the PhD scholars have abandoned their programmes due to withdrawal of their student visas as a result of non-payment, while some of the Masters students who completed their studies without the scholarship payment have had their certificates withheld by the university.
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