The management of the Niger Delta Development Commission has pledged to verify and pay all outstanding foreign scholarship claims in the next few weeks.
Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, the Executive Director Projects of the Commission, made the pledge in London at a meeting on Monday with representatives of the Commission’s scholars in the United Kingdom.
Ojougboh said the Commission decided to verify the scholarship awards because of obvious discrepancies and the fact that 50 of those awarded the scholarships in 2019 did not leave Nigeria for their studies in the UK.
The verification exercise will involve the registration of all scholars on a new portal, customised for the Commission, and the confirmation of the claims with the universities of study.
The Executive Director said the delay in payment of the scholarships was caused by many factors, including the fight by those opposed to President Muhammadu Buhari’s forensic audit of the Commission, which distracted the management from working for at least two months.
The sudden death in May of the then Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Chief Ibanga Etang, also delayed payments as the Commission needed to wait for a replacement to be able to access its funds in its domiciliary account at the Central Bank of Nigeria, Ojougboh said.
The scholars had appealed to the Commission to pay those who were left out in the last payment exercise few months ago.
The NDDC team also included Idara Akpabio and Godson Ideozu, Managing Director of Marg Education International Limited, the Commission’s consultants.
The scholars were represented by Gobo Iyowuna, Kingsley Omokaro and Kayode Olugbemi.
The meeting held at the UK office of Clearpoint Communications Limited, the Commission’s international media management consultants.