By Akanimo Kufre (The New Diplomat’s A/Ibom|C/River Correspondent)
President Muhammadu Buhari has been commended for facilitating the payment of fees/arrears owed overseas students that benefited from the Niger Delta Development Commission’s scholarship programme.
Recall the students had organized series of protest both locally and internationally to get the funds released by the embattled Interim Management Committee of the NDDC, following the President’s intervention.
The students under aegis of Niger Delta Students Union Government, led by their national president, Comrade Goodness N-Epba, made their position known over the weekend during a courtesy visit to the president’s senior aide on Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Ita Enang, in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
N-Epba who was accompanied by the representatives of the students body from all states of the Niger Delta confirmed that the hitherto stranded overseas students have started receiving payments for tuition fees and study grants since the president ordered they should be paid few weeks back.
N-Epba, a student of University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, said the overseas students are members of their association, hence, the solidarity visit to the presidential aide on their behalf.
He suggested that the scholarship scheme be expanded to accommodate more students at home and abroad.
N-Epba thanked Enang, saying he has represented them well by speaking on their behalf.
“We are gathered here today because we have seen results. It is something that is of great joy to us. Thank you for speaking on our behalf,” he noted.
Some of the overseas based students including Olukayode Olugbemi, Daniel Danor,
John Essien, Iwagun Temitope and Gbenga Linus joined the meeting virtually via Zoom Video Conferencing. They equally expressed appreciation to President Buhari, and called for some perceived lapses in the scholarship scheme to be sorted out.
Comrade Idongesit Ukpong, coordinator of the students union in Akwa Ibom State, equally poured encomiums on President Buhari.
In his response, Senator Enang assured the students that the president is concerned about the welfare of the Niger Delta people including students from the region.
“When you led the protest to me in Abuja, and the overseas students led the protest to the High Commission in London, I addressed you Abuja office, I addressed the students (overseas) virtually. At the meeting, I conveyed to you that His Excellency, the President, is telling you to cool temper, I told you that the issue would be sorted out,” he recalled.
While promising that the concerns of the students of the region will remain a priority to the Buhari-led administration, he urged the benefitting students to be serious in their studies so as to have ample knowledge which will translate into meaningful progress in the Niger Delta region.
“We as a government will ensure that the future of our children is not endangered,” he further assured.
The New Diplomat reports that over 200 students were awarded scholarships by the NDDC in 2019 for postgraduate studies abroad.
The fully funded scholarship by NDDC included N500,000 as a take-off grant and $30,000 for tuition.
Unpaid funds to finance tuition exposed many of the students to expulsion and subsequent deportation from the countries where they are studying.
NDDC only paid the take-off grant of N500,000 about eight months after the scholarships were awarded.
