The Niger Delta Development Commission’s decision to build qualitative capacity through its yearly overseas post-graduate scholarship programme for indigenes of the region is one of the best things to happen to the oil-bearing areas. This is even more so because, after all, the human resource is more important than physical infrastructure.” That was the opinion of Mr. Lenin Francis, one of the 210 beneficiaries of the 2014 Post-Graduate Foreign Scholarship programme sponsored by the NDDC.
Francis, who is from Bayelsa State and has enrolled for a Masters’ degree in petroleum engineering in the University of Salford, England, sees the programme as a capacity builder that will equip the youths to join in developing the Niger Delta. “I pray that the NDDC will continue with this laudable programme which has helped many youths in the region. The commission should also extend the scholarship to other students at the undergraduate level as well, in order to increase the number of beneficiaries.”
He said the foreign scholarship was a boost not just for the beneficiaries but for the entire Niger Delta, because it would give the youths the opportunity to develop themselves and acquire technical expertise for the benefit of the people of the region.
Mr. Stevyn Akosubo, another beneficiary who is heading to Coventry University in the United Kingdom, said the NDDC had given them an opportunity to widen their horizon and open their eyes to international best practices. “It is going to enhance the knowledge I have acquired here in Nigeria. It is a great opportunity for me to meet and interact with other students from different parts of the world. We owe our country and the Niger Delta, in particular, a duty to succeed,” he said.
He further said that the scholarship scheme, which was given to 210 graduates in this batch from the nine Niger Delta states, needs to be increased. ”It is clearly insufficient for the teeming youths of the region. Currently, the scholarship scheme is enjoyed by less than 15 per cent of qualified applicants, with some states getting only 10 slots. Surely, the NDDC can improve on this number,” he said.
Giving her own perspective, Miss Amaka Uchendu, who is heading to the University of Essex in the UK, said that the youths often find it difficult to start their lives after their first degrees. “With this scholarship programme, it will be easier for us to go for the opportunities which we may not otherwise have been able to pursue on account of not having money. So, the NDDC has helped us to kick start our lives and we say a big thank you to the commission for giving us the opportunity to move forward and make our lives better.”
The young graduates who are all set to jet out of the country for their post-graduate studies were all gathered at the Landmark Hotel, Port Harcourt to collect their scholarship award letters. The successful graduates from the 9 states in the Niger Delta were also given pre-departure briefings and put through a formal orientation.
In his address to the NDDC scholars, the Managing Director of the commission, Sir Bassey Dan-Abia, charged them to be good ambassadors of Nigeria in the foreign universities by applying themselves studiously to their academic programmes, so as to excel in their chosen fields of study.
The NDDC Managing Director, who was represented by Barr. Sunday Obiofiong, his Special Adviser on Administration and Human Resources, assured the scholars that funds for their school fees and accommodation would not be delayed for any reason. He told them that previous beneficiaries of the scholarship programme set enviable standards for them to emulate. “Those before you did not disappoint us and we trust that you too will make us proud by your conduct and academic achievements,” he said.
He said that the commission would continue to sponsor Niger Delta students to universities across the globe, and in return expect worthy response and commitment as an appreciation of the fact that the monies expended on them belonged to the people.
The NDDC Director for Education, Health and Social Services, Dr. Solomon Ita, explained that the Foreign Post- Graduate Scholarship Scheme, which was started 4 years ago, was meant to equip Niger Delta youths with relevant training and skills for effective participation in the local content programme of the Federal Government.
He said that since the inception of the scheme, the NDDC had trained 811 graduates at post-graduate level, noting that the commission had consistently sponsored 200 students yearly to foreign universities to acquire Master’s and Doctorate degrees in science disciplines. This year, he said, the number was increased to 210. He explained that emphasis was placed on science disciplines because of a noticeable deficiency in this area in the oil industry, which made it difficult to employ young graduates from the region in that critical sector. “You know we have a lot of gaps in our oil and gas sector, and that is what we desire in the Niger Delta region and Nigeria at large”.
According to him, there was need to position young graduates from the region to compete globally in various professional fields, noting that before now, the oil and gas industry had discriminated against the fresh graduates whom they dismissed as not possessing requisite qualifications. ”We also need to encourage our youths to show interest in engineering for the sake of our projects. We need qualified engineers that can manage our projects just as in agriculture, environmental science and other science related courses,” the director said.
Dr. Ita stressed that the foreign scholarship scheme was designed to expose the graduates to other developed environment outside the country. “It is our belief that the skills they acquire will add value to the development of the Niger Delta. So far, we have been proved right as those that benefited from the programme in the previous years have justified the need for the advanced training programme,” he said.
He recalled the outstanding performance of one of the beneficiaries who studied in the United Kingdom in 2012. The star NDDC scholar of that year, Miss Francisca Chiedu, was elected as President of the United Kingdom University Student Union. That feat, he said, demonstrated that Nigerian youths could lead innovative changes within and outside the country. “Her success was indeed a victory for the NDDC. It is a testimony of the capability of the new generation of Nigerian to effect the change they seek and champion worthy causes they desire.”
The NDDC director said he was optimistic that the process adopted in selecting beneficiaries of the foreign scholarship scheme would continue to produce first class performers. “it will guarantee the Niger Delta region and Nigeria at large, the likes of Francisca Chiedu, the Information Engineering and Network Management student in the Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, who brought glory to NDDC, the region and nation.”
Miss Chiedu, a University of Benin Computer Science graduate, showed appreciation for what the NDDC did for her. She wrote back to the commission to say that “truly life presents us with different opportunities. For me, every moment in our life offered a door, all I had to do was choose, I chose to dream, I chose to think, I choose to move, I chose to act and I chose to win.”
Other potential winners have been lining up to be raised by the NDDC. It was not surprising, therefore, that 4, 000 graduates applied for this year’s post-graduate foreign scholarship programme. The successful ones were selected through a transparent electronic examination conducted at the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt. Mr. Asawo Ibituro, a consultant for the electronic test, said that e- exams promote transparency. “There is no room for anybody to change your grade since your picture and details are in the system, after writing the examination your score is reflected immediately”.
The interview process for this year’s foreign postgraduate scholarship was concluded in April and the students were supposed to have reported at their universities in September. However, there were some delays which were attributed to the budgetary process of the Federal Government.
One of the candidates who participated in the final interview, Mr. Peter Keshi, said: “Following the transparent and swift manner in which the tests and interview process was conducted, we expected quite a lot. This year’s qualifying exams for the scholarship programme were rounded up on the 5th of April, we were invited for interviews shortly in that same month and the interview process was equally done on the 24th of April. One would have expected that all successful candidates would by this time be in their various universities across the world.”
Keshi didn’t have to wait for too long as the NDDC had finalised all arrangements to facilitate the movement of the graduates to their various universities for their post-graduate studies. The beneficiaries who attended the orientation/pre-departure briefing were visibly anxious to get moving. As they were being briefed by Mr. Umanaette Udoh, an NDDC consultant, the UK-bound graduates were impatient, listening to how to get around London. One of them asked: “Who wants to learn how to use the sub-way? Some of us have been living in London for many years now.”
