FG suspends NDDC scholarship programme | EduCeleb
Abdussalam Amoo
27th October 2017
The Federal Government has suspended the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) scholarship programme.
This is based on orders from the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Usani Usani. Usani ordered the immediate suspension of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC’s scholarship programme citing current financial constraints.
The NDDC won’t offer any new scholarship until the commission clears the backlog of payment meant for the old beneficiaries, the Ministry of Niger Delta said on Twitter.
There have been protests from several postgraduate Nigerian students abroad who said that the NDDC refused to fund its scholarship scheme, thereby forcing them to go through shameful hardship on foreign lands.
Those affected are said to be 15 students doing their Master’s degree and 40 PhD students.
Some of the PhD students have not received money meant for their tuition and upkeep for more than one year now.
The NDDC international scholarship is worth about $30,000 annually. Those doing Masters’ degree are expected to spend only one year on it, while the PhD is expected to last for three years.
Some of the PhD students had on 12th October protested at the Nigeria High Commission in London.