In 2014, I and several other Nigerian University graduates had been shortlisted to write the Presidential Special Scholarship (PRESSID) designed exclusively for First Class Nigerian graduates who wanted to pursue both Masters and PhD in any top 25 Universities in the world.
President Goodluck Jonathan had set the scheme up and the idea was to build a strong team of brilliant Nigerians who will come back to serve the country years later.
There were a little above one thousand of us who wrote the exam at CHAMS, Abuja.
At the time, I was already lecturing in UNN, so most of my friends (who were also my colleagues) enrolled.
16 of us in total.
It was a computer-based test, so we knew our fate instantly.
I scored 94% in the exam.
In fact, 15 of us from UNN scored between 80 and 97%.
Man! We came out of the exam hall completely joyous.
We were so sure we had got the scholarship.
And we were right.
Sometime in February 2015, the list of 101 successful candidates was shortlisted in the National Dailies.
15 of us were on that list.
I had applied to Princeton University, Imperial College London and University of Toronto already.
That phase of our lives was glorious.
Fast forward to March, 2015.
Goodluck lost the elections to Mr. Buhari.
That was where things started to take a new turn.
Shortly after Mr Buhari was sworn in, he recalled the list and complained that there was no single northerner on it.
He believed it was an agenda of the South.
Right before our eyes, meritocracy was shortchanged for Federal character.
It was first like a joke, but we all lost that huge scholarship.
It was worth about $250,000 per person (tuition and living expenses inclusive across 5 years).
Before then, I had little faith in the country.
But when this happened, I became weary of the country.
Thankfully, later that year, I got a full scholarship from University of Toronto for my Masters and PhD (6 years in total).
Of those other 14 friends of mine, 13 of them have also moved since then - US, Canada, UK, New Zealand, Japan etc.
Obviously, we moved on, but truth is, the life we have now was afforded to us by the Government of another country, many of which will seduce you with permanent residency and citizenship afterwards.
Any nation that shortchanges merit for anything else will fall.
Nigeria has the brightest people, yet, we are where we are (in Osinbajo's voice).
These people will corroborate my story as they were also winners of the PRESSID scholarship:
Odoeze Jideofor, Okagu Ogadimma, Olikagu Sylvia, Chisom Hyacinth, Ali David, Chukwuma Izuogu, Samuel Olisa, Chima Eke and others.
Sad!
Chidozie Ojobor.

True talk things are no longer done or giving based on merit in this administration.its either you're from a particular geo political zone or you don't deserve it.There was once a country.

These experiences can make one give up in life.


Buhari is a disaster.

We don’t need to beg anybody again the nigerian masses are ready to divide this country.

If any one fire a shot at us in our attempt to divide this country they will have theirselves to blame


We will divide this country, i promise you

What about NNPC congratulatory message for passing the 2015 graduate entry level exams.

I can never forget how I almost got ulcer because I refused to eat on time. Till date no invite or message from them.

Lucky you got away out...


How that process ended still remains a mystery.

It is Götterdãmerung playing out before our eyes. The unprecedented greed of politicians and impotence of a compromised legislative/judiciary have brought us to this sorry pass. Because of their looting we all have to go down!

same fate befell me too in 2015. I was among those that wrote the nnpc aptitude test in December 2014.

in January 2015, I got a text from Philips consulting, inviting me for an interview in February. To say I was happy was an understatement. mind you, this was during the build up to the elections.


less than a week to the interview, Philips consulting sent out another round of text messages, telling us to hold on for now, that they re still trying to put logistics in place for the interview.



Elections came, Jonathan lost, the story ended.

we never heard from them again.


2019 came with the unmeritorious recruitment of northerners into those vacancies we have filled.

Funny enough, even those from the South who supported this government for whatever reason have one or more bad stories to tell. Things were done more on merit then than now.
Now the northerners take it all.

MANDIPUTIN:
In 2014, I and several other Nigerian University graduates had been shortlisted to write the Presidential Special Scholarship (PRESSID) designed exclusively for First Class Nigerian graduates who wanted to pursue both Masters and PhD in any top 25 Universities in the world.
President Goodluck Jonathan had set the scheme up and the idea was to build a strong team of brilliant Nigerians who will come back to serve the country years later.
There were a little above one thousand of us who wrote the exam at CHAMS, Abuja.
At the time, I was already lecturing in UNN, so most of my friends (who were also my colleagues) enrolled.
16 of us in total.
It was a computer-based test, so we knew our fate instantly.
I scored 94% in the exam.
In fact, 15 of us from UNN scored between 80 and 97%.
Man! We came out of the exam hall completely joyous.
We were so sure we had got the scholarship.
And we were right.
Sometime in February 2015, the list of 101 successful candidates was shortlisted in the National Dailies.
15 of us were on that list.
I had applied to Princeton University, Imperial College London and University of Toronto already.
That phase of our lives was glorious.
Fast forward to March, 2015.
Goodluck lost the elections to Mr. Buhari.
That was where things started to take a new turn.
Shortly after Mr Buhari was sworn in, he recalled the list and complained that there was no single northerner on it.
He believed it was an agenda of the South.
Right before our eyes, meritocracy was shortchanged for Federal character.
It was first like a joke, but we all lost that huge scholarship.
It was worth about $250,000 per person (tuition and living expenses inclusive across 5 years).
Before then, I had little faith in the country.
But when this happened, I became weary of the country.
Thankfully, later that year, I got a full scholarship from University of Toronto for my Masters and PhD (6 years in total).
Of those other 14 friends of mine, 13 of them have also moved since then - US, Canada, UK, New Zealand, Japan etc.
Obviously, we moved on, but truth is, the life we have now was afforded to us by the Government of another country, many of which will seduce you with permanent residency and citizenship afterwards.
Any nation that shortchanges merit for anything else will fall.
Nigeria has the brightest people, yet, we are where we are (in Osinbajo's voice).
These people will corroborate my story as they were also winners of the PRESSID scholarship:
Odoeze Jideofor, Okagu Ogadimma, Olikagu Sylvia, Chisom Hyacinth, Ali David, Chukwuma Izuogu, Samuel Olisa, Chima Eke and others.
Sad!
Chidozie Ojobor.

my brother wherever you are, join IPOB worldwide. Many of us like you have been short changed. When people are being told the nature of buhari, zombies hardly believe

They proudly answer Quota system on online forums.., a system they employ only when they feel threathened. But otherwise they just fling it to the dust bin and fill every available spot with kinsmen who really cant hold their own against other regions second and even 3rd eleven

God will help us