NDDC Interviews Applicants For Foreign Postgraduate Scholarships

Applicants who succeeded in the last computer-based test for overseas postgraduate scholarship scheme of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) have begun to undergo the second stage of the interviews from which the successful 200 will be selected.
The computer-based test was conducted for 3,000 applicants in November, according to a press release on Monday by the Director of Public Affairs of the NDDC, Dr. Ibitoye Abosede.
The Acting Managing Director, Mr. Emmanuel Audu-Ohwavborua, who monitored proceedings at the venue of the interview, said the process would be fair and transparent. “We want to create a solid foundation for our children. We want to send out our best.
“Since 2010, we have trained students in foreign universities. We want to emphasize professionalism and merit and the applicants must come from the Niger Delta area.
“We are sending the scholars out to represent our country. They are going to be our worthy ambassadors. The interview panel were randomly selected to ensure fairness. I have seen positive comments from participants and I am happy about that,” Audu-Ohwavborua said.
The NDDC Chief Executive Officer said the scholarship interview was one good story that people needed to hear about NDDC. “It is not only the negative stories that should be coming out of NDDC. This is one of the good stories about the NDDC that we want the world to know. The 200 scholars to be selected will be our ambassadors. I am impressed with what we are doing and it is getting positive comments from the participants.”
The NDDC boss noted that education was a critical factor in pulling people out of poverty. He added, “The people of the Niger Delta region have been marginalized in the past so education is the key we are giving to them to excel. If we want a nation that is prosperous, we must build people that are prosperous.”
The Dean of the Faculty of Law, Rivers State University, Port Harcourt, Prof. Chris Wigwe, and Chairman of the interview Panel, assured the NDDC that only the best students would be selected. He said the programme was laudable as it would contribute to the building of human capacity of our people in the Niger Delta region.
He stated: “The NDDC is making a huge difference in the lives of our students. I pray that the Commission will continue with this laudable programme which has helped many youths in the region. The Commission should also extend the scholarship to students in Nigerian universities”
Wigwe said that the foreign scholarship was a boost not just for the beneficiaries but for the entire Niger Delta region, because it would give the youths the opportunity to develop themselves and acquire technical expertise for the benefit of the people of the region.