Stranded NDDC ‘scholars’ hold fresh protest at Nigerian embassy in UK

Nigerians students sponsored abroad for further studies by the (NDDC) are holding a protest in front of the Nigerian High Commission in London over the non-release of funds for their scholarship.

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, despite the claims by the NDDC that it has recently released over $5.9 million (about N2.28 billion) for the programme.

The students gathered around 9 am in front of the High Commission, with placards.

The students, in their statement to PREMIUM TIMES a few days ago, said the NDDC management deliberately excluded them from the latest payment for the scholarship programme.

“The NDDC selectively handpicked those it paid without any defined criteria and is refusing to pay fees, grants, and upkeep of 2018 scholars for no justifiable reason whatsoever,” the students said in the statement.

“This came as a rude shock to us because historically, the NDDC had always paid the fees and upkeep of scholars in the order in which they were incurred, that is, from the earliest to the latest.”

The students said their exclusion may have been to punish them for protesting against the delay in the release of funds for the scholarship.

The NDDC management said, without substantiating it, that the students were “hirelings masquerading as the Commission’s scholars”.

A statement by the NDDC spokesperson, Charles Odili said the students were part of “powerful individuals who are part of the systemic corruption uncovered” by the commission’s interim management.

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