The beauty of NDDC scholarship scheme

Sir: It is quite commendable that the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has modified and relaunched its 12-year-old scholarship scheme for postgraduate studies in foreign universities to accommodate students in Nigerian institutions. It is a departure from the past when the programme was exclusively reserved for only Nigerian students in foreign universities.

By extending the scheme this year to include students in Nigerian institutions (public and private), the commission will take a huge financial burden off many parents and contribute handsomely to the funding of our tertiary institutions.

For this year, the scholarship scheme covers the following areas: Engineering, including Software/Aeronautic Space/Aeronautic Engineering, Medical Sciences/Medicine and Surgery, Computer Science Technology, Information Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Hospitality Management, Law, Architecture, Robotic Engineering and Mathematics/Sciences.

The core objectives of the scheme, according to the commission, are to boost human resource development in the Niger Delta region, equip our young people with the necessary training and skills and prepare them to compete globally in their chosen fields. 

Announcing the launch of the scholarship scheme earlier this month, NDDC’s Interim Administrator/Chief Executive, Dr Efiong Akwa said that applicants must come from the Niger Delta region and should possess five credits at not more than two sittings, and students are expected to have First Class Degree or Second-Class Upper Division to benefit from the scholarship. Said Akwa: ‘‘Quality education is at the heart of the development of any nation. We in the NDDC will continue to support our youths in the Niger Delta region to acquire the needed education and skills so that they can contribute meaningfully to the development of Nigeria.’’
Etim Etim.

The NDDC scholarship scheme has trained about 2,000 young people from the Niger Delta in foreign institutions and in various technical skills since its inception in 2010 and I am personally proud of these scholars for their sterling academic achievements. The pleasant stories coming from some of the beneficiaries of the programme justify the huge resource the commission has invested in them. They are, indeed, a source of motivation for new generations of NDDC scholars.

A total of 1,411 students have received scholarships since 2010, of which 1,066 were supported in M.Sc and 345 in Ph.D programmes. Five of the M.Sc students graduated with distinction from Coventry University, England and one from Aberdeen University. These positive results show the depth of talent within the Niger Delta and the positive contributions of NDDC to talent development in the country. The scholarship scheme has indeed empowered citizens of the Niger Delta by building their capacity, especially in the oil and gas sector. The objective is to equip the people so that they can compete favourably with others in terms of employment in the oil industry and also in entrepreneurship in the region.

My recommendation is that the scholarship programme should not only continue but should even be expanded to cover undergraduate studies.