Edith CHUKU
The Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission NDDC, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, has charged beneficiaries of its Foreign Post Graduate Scholarship in the United Kingdom to be good ambassadors of the Niger Delta region.
A release made available to TNN by the Director, Corporate Affairs, Mr. Pius Ughakpoteni, revealed that Ogbuku gave this charge when he led members of the NDDC team on Monitoring and Evaluation M&E, of beneficiaries of the Scholarship programme to appraise their academic progress and welfare of the scholars in the United Kingdom.
Speaking at a meeting with the NDDC scholars at the Coventry University in UK, the MD assured the students that the Commission would do its best to address their challenges and stressed the need to verify and assess the performance and wellbeing of the students.
The NDDC team, led by Ogbuku included the Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Alabo Boma Iyaye; the Executive Director, Corporate Services, Hon. Ifedayo Abegunde; the director, Education Health and Social Services, Dr George, Uzonwanne, as well as the Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, Mr. Davies Okarevu.
The NDDC MD assured the students that “We did not send you here to suffer or to punish you. We sent you here so that your lives will be better and you can add value to the society. We felt it is necessary to come and see you and also attend to your challenges.
“We are committed to making sure that you all are comfortable, but what you as scholars owe us is to ensure that you are good ambassadors.
“Nigerian students abroad are among the brightest students all over the world and we are looking forward to seeing that one of the scholars from the NDDC scholarship scheme becomes the best graduating student in this school.”
Ogbuku also noted that the NDDC was very serious with its human capital development programmes, noting that it was pursuing improved investments in the educational sector as part of plans to ensure that the youths were gainfully employed.
He revealed that the NDDC delegation would visit five other universities in the UK to secure agreements and partnerships that would take the Commission’s scholars and give them full access, including accommodation till their tuition and boarding fees were paid.
The NDDC boss emphasised that the scholarship beneficiaries must all come back to Nigeria after graduation because the Commission would not encourage a situation where it was used as a springboard by those looking for greener pastures outside Nigeria.
“The NDDC’s emphasis on value creation is a demonstration of its dedication to maximizing the return on investment in its scholarship programme. By fostering excellence and local knowledge transfer, the NDDC is ensuring that the skills and expertise gained by scholarship recipients will fuel lasting progress for the entire Niger Delta region.”
