The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has said that it will expand its Foreign Postgraduate Scholarship Programme to include training in Nigerian universities as part of its efforts to strengthen human capital development in the Niger Delta region.
The NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, stated this during an assessment visit to the venue of the foreign postgraduate scholarship interviews in Port Harcourt. He observed that 600 indigenes from the NDDC mandate states would benefit from the expanded scheme, as opposed to the 200 who benefit from foreign schemes.
Ogbuku acknowledged the interview panelists for their excellent work so far and charged them to be impartial in their judgment, ensuring that only the best and most qualified candidates receive the scholarship.
He said, “The students who benefited from the scholarship scheme in the previous years had distinctions in their various fields of study, and we have not heard of criminal or any negative reports about them.”
The NDDC Director of Education, Health, and Social Services, Dr. George Uzonwanne, explained that the process of selecting scholarship recipients was transparent. He noted: “Over 30,000 persons applied, from which 6,000 candidates were invited for the Computer-Based Test (CBT).”
Uzonwanne said that the 2,500 students who scored 70 per cent and above were invited to the next stage, which will be an oral test used to determine the cut-off point. He said the candidates were satisfied with the process due to its transparency, as they saw their scores as soon as they finished answering their questions.
The Chairman of the interview panel, Prof. Beleudanyo Fente, lauded the NDDC for providing an educational platform to improve the lives of the region’s indigenes and for providing infrastructure, including roads, hospitals, solar lights, and piped water.
Fene promised that he and his team would ensure the process was transparent, fair, and free, and that the most suitable and qualified individuals would receive the scholarship.
One of the candidates, Mr. Benedict Chigozie, said the process was transparent and satisfactory, noting that they were well treated and taken good care of. He thanked the NDDC for providing an avenue for the less privileged to further their academic pursuits.
Another candidate, Miss Blessing Chinonso, who is physically challenged, thanked the NDDC for the scholarship programme. She appealed to the Commission to make provisions for physically challenged candidates.
