Six hundred pioneer beneficiaries of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Local Postgraduate Scholarship Programme have received their award letters during a ceremony held on Wednesday, October 8 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Speaking at the event, NDDC Managing Director, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to human capacity development for people of the oil-rich Niger Delta region.
The new local postgraduate scholarship scheme brings the total number of annual beneficiaries under NDDC’s scholarship programmes to 800, including 200 recipients of the ongoing Foreign Postgraduate Scholarship initiative.
Dr. Ogbuku described the local scholarship as a novel initiative arising from stakeholder engagement sessions, noting that the selection process was transparent and free from political or ethnic bias. He expressed delight that over 30 beneficiaries of the foreign scholarship programme graduated with distinctions in the United Kingdom.
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According to him, the performance of the pioneer beneficiaries would determine whether the number of slots would be increased in future. He emphasized that beneficiaries would be closely monitored to assess their character and academic progress.
The MD also reminded recipients that the award is a one-off payment, urging them to complete their programmes within two academic sessions.
Providing details, NDDC’s Director of Education, Health, and Social Services, Dr. George Uzonwanne, revealed that over 46,000 applications were received. Out of these, 12,000 candidates sat for the Computer-Based Test (CBT), 5,000 were interviewed, and 600 who scored 63 and above were selected.
Some beneficiaries expressed gratitude to the NDDC for the opportunity and pledged to justify their selection
