Stranded NDDC ‘students’ hold fresh protest at Nigerian embassy in UK over non-payment of grants

Some Nigerian students sponsored abroad for further studies by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) are yet to recieve their funds despite President Buhari’s directive forthem to be paid and earlier claim by the agency that the students have been paid.

The affected students held a protest in front of the Nigerian High Commission in London over the non-release of funds for their scholarship on Wednesday.

The protesting students, about 25 of them, represent several students on Batch 2018 of the NDDC foreign scholarship programme who are yet to receive money for their tuition gathered around 9 am in front of the High Commission, with placards.

The NDDC earlier claimed it has recently released over $5.9 million (about N2.28 billion) for the programme.

But in their statement the students said the NDDC management deliberately excluded them from the latest payment for the scholarship programme.

In a statement, the NDDC through its spokesman, Odili, however said, “In 2018, the Commission paid a total of $900,000.00 (Nine hundred Thousand Dollars) only to cover the Commission’s obligations to its scholars.

“In 2019, the amount paid rose to a total of $3.5million (Three million, Five Hundred Thousand Dollars) only. Recently, the IMC paid out a total of $5.99m (Five Million, Nine Hundred and Ninety Thousand Dollars) to cover all the verified obligations to our scholars.

“Now, there is a demand for an additional payment of $3million (Three Million Dollars), bringing the total to an alarming $9million (Nine Million Dollars).”

He added, “Some of the important questions everyone must ask are: why is the amount paid to cover our obligations to this foreign scholarship programme rising astronomically? Where are all these demands coming from? What do they cover?”

NDDC was set up in 2000 by the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo to fast-track development in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region but the agency has not lived up to expectation.

It has instead, over the years been embroiled in numerous corruption allegations.