Zashaya Awele leapt for joy when she got a scholarship from the Niger Delta Development Commission in August 2019 for a master’s degree at a London university in the United Kingdom.
But one year after, her joy has turned into anxiety, worry, and depression. The reasons for her condition are quite enormous.
“I waited for two months expecting to get the take-off grant. When it was not forthcoming and I couldn’t wait, I had to raise funds to travel to the UK. We were paid the take-off grant just about four months ago. However, we have yet to get the tuition fees,” she told our correspondent. Coupled with the non-payment of her tuition fees, Awele also has no job to cater to her basic needs, which makes her feel more frustrated and depressed.
One of them is Olukayode Olugbemi, an Ondo State indigene who graduated from the Department of Law at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, in 2015 before proceeding to study Master’s of Law in International Commercial Law at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, UK. Olugbemi stated that some scholars were doing menial jobs to make a living but the jobs were lost when the COVID-19 pandemic began in the UK, adding that the only job that seemed available now was care home jobs.
He said, “If the Nigerian system had worked better, maybe I wouldn’t be in this mess. There was a scholarship I could have applied for that would cover all expenses. But when I applied for a transcript from my university, it took four months for it to be processed. By the time I was given the transcript, the scholarship was gone. I had no choice but to rely on the NDDC scholarship. Maybe if I had stayed in Nigeria to get other fully-funded scholarships, it would have been better.
“But guess what, my friend’s PhD was suspended last Wednesday because the school said they had given the NDDC enough time to make the payment but there had been no response. Her deadline was initially July 1 but it was shifted to July 22. My own deadline was July 28. It’s frustrating that our academic lives are being toyed with.”
Danor, who worked at a tank farm in Calabar, Cross River State, said he planned to marry after saving some money from the job. But when the scholarship offer came in August 2019, he resigned in September 2019 and travelled to the UK in October 2019.group of my local government area. People gave me money ranging from N1,000 to N10,000. My father also got a loan so I could travel but see what’s happening to me today,” he lamented.
Ukwuegbu stated that it was risky working at a place where there was high COVID-19 cases, adding that he said he had to choose between dying of hunger or dying of COVID-19. He said, “Sometimes, I think I contributed to my father’s death in a way because three days before he died, I was discussing with him my plight here. He asked how I was coping and I had to just tell him everything. He was hypertensive; he got worried easily. He asked me about the implication of the school shutting me out of their portal and I told him the school would report me to the Home Office and I would be deported.
He said, “Sometimes, I ask myself if this scholarship is a curse. My mother cautioned me to stop asking this question the other day. But I can’t help myself. Maybe I should have just stayed on my job back at home and kept on moving gradually. She said, “I was supposed to go for a master’s degree in Global Healthcare Management at Coventry University, UK but I couldn’t raise the funds to travel because the take-off grant has not been paid to date.
She said, “I was awarded the scholarship in August 2019 to study in the UK but all is not well now. Some scholars were able to raise funds to travel but I couldn’t. When the NDDC paid scholars in April, I expected that those of us stranded in Nigeria would also be paid but we have not been paid. Why should the commission pay those abroad and leave us out? This is another thing I don’t understand.
Over 200 scholars had been awarded the scholarship in 2019 to pursue postgraduate studies abroad, fully funded by the NDDC. Each beneficiary was supposed to get N500,000 as take-off grant and $30,000 for tuition fees. Among those summoned were Akpabio and the acting Managing Director of the NDDC, Prof Kemebradikumo Pondei, who slumped during a recent hearing.
Nigeria Latest News, Nigeria Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
NDDC/EFCC: People Have Abused Trust In My Administration – BuhariNDDC/EFCC: People Have Abused Trust In My Administration – Buhari
Read more »
Governor's convoy attacked, Daura rejects zoning, other major political news last weekGovernor’s convoy attacked, Daura rejects zoning, other major political news last week
Read more »
NDDC, EFCC: Some people have abused my trust for them - Buhari laments - Daily Post NigeriaPresident Muhammadu Buhari has said that some of his appointees have abused the trust he had for them. Buhari spoke on Friday in Abuja after a Sallah
Read more »
Corruption: Buhari speaks on EFCC, NDDC probes | Premium Times NigeriaMr Buhari says appointees of NDDC, EFCC and other federal government agencies and commissions under probe abuse their trust.
Read more »
NDDC: why Akpabio, Pondei can't superintend forensic audit- GroupA nonpartisan group advocating development in the Niger Delta region, the Global Forum for Accountability and Transparency, Nigeria,..
Read more »
Wike has no plan to control NDDC, says aide
Read more »