NDDC FOREIGN POSTGRADUATE SCHOLARS NEGLECT, ONE TOO MANY – THE SAD TALE OF 2016 SCHOLARS

It has been a long walk from home in search for advanced knowledge with the sole reason of returning to make the local vicinity of the home of Nigeria ‘black gold’ worthwhile as regards environmental conservation and safe modern practices for preservation of both the crops, livestock and as a point of paramount significance, raising deserving youths with thorough potentials to become useful to their primary constituencies, which defines the major goal of the Niger Delta Foreign Postgraduate scholarship.

With a rigorous selection process and stages that birth the NDDC 2016 scholars of about 212 persons to include both Masters and PhD students, all the supposed Scholarship’s benefits are yet to be met 9 months after the award of scholarships and departure of the scholars to their various foreign study destinations. As important as mobilization fee - which was targeted to cover Visa expenses for scholars, tuition and upkeep amount that the scholarship covers are yet to be paid. This nonpayment of any has incapacitated many scholars from departing the shores of Nigeria as some require the mobilization money to process their Visas while others require payment of tuition before their destination embassies can grant them Visas. It’s been sad tales for some of us that borrowed money in order to meet up our program start date as we are continually left in the dark as to when payment will be made with our various schools losing patience and our Landlords are tired of unending promises as

At a farewell briefing where scholars were presented with their award letters, charged to be of good conduct and ambassadors of Niger Delta while also paying optimum attention to their studies and learning the basis to which the glory of the region we represent can be restored and become very valuable at our return in order to apply our knowledge to influence the fortune and people of the region, the Management through the then Chairman, Ibim Semenitari promised on behalf of NDDC as sponsors to fulfill their part of the deal that will give the scholars a memorable foreign experience of study and comfort as regards mobilizing timely finances that is to cover tuition which will be paid directly to the school and the balance paid as upkeep to the scholars account.

Amongst the most important promises of all was an urgent need for the scholars to document their Nigerian accounts so they can be mobilized with some sum that will cover Visa expenses and other costs that will facilitate arrival in study destinations. Nine months gone by and the travails of scholars keeps mounting daily with those that borrowed money with a proposed payback period are continually being disturbed by their lenders to do so, many scholars are on the verge of being kicked out from their various institution for being unable to pay their tuition, some are at the mercies of their Landlords with a possible kick out at any time due to the failure to pay rent. Some scholars who should be in all their classes go through rigorous time seeking odd jobs so as to be a able to keep up with bills that keeps on piling, sadly above all are those that after nine months of scholarship award are still home in Nigeria who are on the contrary supposedly to be making progress towards their program completion, no thanks to the ineptitude of NDDC to fulfilling their responsibilities to mobilizing their scholars as so many are waiting on this money to process their Visa while some others cannot even apply for Visa without their tuition payments to their proposed schools. Additionally with an obvious track record of timely payment, no regards is given to the letter as some embassies obviously deny NDDC scholars Visa because of the recurring demonstration of ineptitude of NDDC Agency paying timely their scholars after arrival in their destination

This is an appeal to the NDDC agency to stand up to her responsibilities as it is sure these monies have been passed in the 2016 budget and it should be used appropriately for what it has been earmarked for in other to forestall ugly incidences happening to scholars at their various destinations - one of which was recently reported by some news sources of a suicide attempt by an obvious unpaid NDDC scholar. We wish to also bring it to the notice of all parastatal, Chairman of NDDC – Senator Victor Udoma Egba, Minister of Niger Delta – Usani Uguru Usani, Managing Director of NDDC – Nsima Udo Ekere, NDDC EDFA – Mene Derek, Senate Committee Chairman on NDDC - Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, Minister of Foreign Affairs – Geoffrey Onyeama, Senate President – Senator Bukola Saraki, Speaker House of Representative – Hon. Yakubu Dogara, The House Committee Chairman on Niger Delta Affairs, Hon. Ayi Ekpeyong, Ag. President - Professor Yemi Osinbajo, well meaning Nigerians and the Federal Government of Nigeria to prevail on NDDC to pay up her scholars in other to avoid the ugly stories happening to its citizen in diaspora as a result of a Scholarship turning into ‘suffership’ for the young bright minds on whose shoulders the future of the Niger Delta belongs.