News

NDDC Scholars Lament FG’s Neglect

Published

9 years ago

October 9, 2017

Some beneficiaries of the scholarship scheme put in place by the Federal Government through the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), have alleged that the commission has abandoned them.
In interviews with newsmen, the scholars who craved anonymity said they had been subjected to unfair and inhuman treatment by the commission since 2016.
The affected beneficiaries are Masters and PhD students of Niger Delta origin who won the scholarship awards in 2014 and 2015.
They alleged that their ordeals started when the leadership of the current NDDC board assumed office in November, 2016.
The beneficiaries were also carefully positioned to study courses considered to be of developmental benefit to the region; such as Engineering, Law, Environmental Sciences, Public Health, ICT, among others.
In January 2015, the NDDC advertised for scholarship vacancies in several national dailies and on its website.
Successful candidates were consequently issued award letters, a copy of which was made available to our source.
The value of the scholarship, according to the aggrieved scholars, was put at $30,000.
A successful scholar on arrival and registration at the foreign university was expected to ask the university to send an invoice for tuition fees to the NDDC via designated email addresses of officials in the education unit.
According to one of the scholars, “After settlement of tuition fees, the balance left (if any) out of the $30,000 was paid simultaneously to the scholar’s bank account in the local currency of the scholar’s country of study.
“A PhD scholarship is worth $30,000 per annum for three years making a total of $90,000, while a Masters scholarship is worth $30,000 for just one year.
“This has been the standard practice since the inception of the scholarship; albeit there are always delays as the NDDC has become very notorious for shabby treatment of her scholars among all national scholarship bodies,” the source said.
But some of the affected scholars, in email correspondence, said the last payments were made in March and August, 2016, under the interim management of Mrs Ibim Semenitari.
“Scholars were asked to provide invoices from their universities as far back as August, 2016, to prevent the usual delays,” they said in the correspondence.
“Sadly, payment was not effected until she was removed, and the substantive board led by its Chairman, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba and Managing Director, Mr Nsima Ekere came on board in November, 2016. The scholarship funds have been set aside in the NDDC budget as stated in the 2015 and 2016 Appropriation Act.”
The aggrieved scholars, however, alleged that they have been labelled ‘ghost scholars’ and ‘PDP scholars.’
Investigations show that at some point in June, 2016, the beneficiaries wrote in a jointly signed petition, the Education Unit of the NDDC asked scholars to send in valid proof of current study status which most of them complied with.
“The MD has granted several press interviews alluding to the fact that he is investigating monumental corruption in the administration of the scholarship,” they wrote.
“Numerous committees have been set up and it seems that they have run out of excuses to pay us our monies. We wonder how long it takes to investigate cases of authentic scholars from fake ones in this time and age when any information is available at the click of an email,” they queried.
Our correspondent gathered that some of the PhD scholars have abandoned their programmes due to withdrawal of their student visas as a result of non-payment, while some of the Masters students who completed their studies without the scholarship payment have had their certificates withheld by the university.
The affected scholars also alleged that appeals made to the NDDC management, and the minister for Niger Delta Affairs have yielded no positive result as the respective foreign universities with students from the NDDC have made countless appeals for payment without success.
“Most times, they have had to fly in their representatives to NDDC Headquarters at Port Harcourt-Aba Road, Port Harcourt, in Rivers State, to personally beg for settlement because their emails and phone calls are shunned by the NDDC,” the scholars claimed in their petition.
One of the beneficiaries of the Masters scholarship scheme, Maryleen Ndubuaku, narrated her ordeal:”I am expected to graduate with excellent grades to help me actualise the goal of this scheme which is to contribute to building our great nation.
“This is really difficult considering that I have to think of how to survive and pay my bills; the thought of which constantly distracts my focus from my daily academic duties,” the M.Sc. student of Embedded Microelectronics and Wireless Systems, at the Coventry University, United Kingdom said.
But when contacted, Special Assistant on Media to the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Ojifo-Raphael Undiandeye, debunked claims that the scholars had been abandoned.
“They wrote the honourable minister, he minuted on their letter and forwarded it to the MD of NDDC. At one other time, he (the minister) said he went to the NDDC commission itself in Port Harcourt and saw a list where the MD was making approvals for payment of scholars,” Undiandeye said.
“To the best of my knowledge, a good number of them have been paid but we are still surprised that some of them are still complaining that they have not been paid. The challenge we are having is that, the commission is saying some of them are not authentic scholars or that some of them actually transferred in the process of admission: that is to say, someone in the NDDC records, for instance, were given scholarship in, say, University of Port Harcourt in Rivers State and they are bringing the receipts of University of Ibadan, Oyo State.
“They may be authentic scholars, but because they changed schools (and courses) without due information or without due recognition of the commission, the commission is lost as to whether they are authentic scholars or not. But for those ones who did not tamper with their admission processes, they don’t have issues,” the minister’s aide said.
Commenting further, he said that the NDDC “feels that in this era of change, some people are defrauding the commission of funds.”
He, however, advised the affected scholars to table their concerns before the commission rather than resort to social media attacks.
“Rather than going to the social media to create the impression that the NDDC is corrupt and refusing to pay their fees, let them tackle the problems properly because the MD has said that those who the commission owed fees, he has paid.
“Definitely, there would be few skirmishes here and there; people who have not been paid as a result of one or two difficulties, their cases should actually be addressed, if they are attending the school approved by NDDC. That is not a serious issue,” he added.
When told that the scholars had alleged that they were authentic scholars genuinely certified by the NDDC, he attributed further skirmishes to gaps in communication.
“If that is true, then there is a breach of communication between the commission, the students and the universities, and that has to be reconciled,” he said.
“I can’t authoritatively say that they have made all outstanding payments. All I can authoritatively say is that the commission has started paying to a good number of them; that was because my principal said that he saw when the MD (of NDDC) brought a list to approve payment for a good number of them. Whether that was all of them, I do not know.
“Let them cool down and write in details what the challenge is because the truth is that, people are defrauding the NDDC and NDDC is trying to stop it. I hear someone said that the commission claimed that several people were laying claims to scholarship funds over scholarship awards they did not receive. And that’s why the commission is being very careful, especially in this era of change.”
On allegations that some of the scholars were being treated badly because they were beneficiaries of the scheme in the last administration, Undiandeye dismissed the claim as untrue.
“It has absolutely nothing to do with that. I think the major challenge is documentation skirmishes here and there, otherwise the commission in this era is responsible,” he explained.
Efforts to ascertain whether all outstanding payments being owed the scholars had been made by the NDDC were futile.
However, when contacted, one of the commission’s media officers, Dayo Ibitoye, declined to speak on telephone.
When probed further, he requested a text message.
Several days after the text messages were sent, he has not replied.
The Tide reports that the NDDC is an interventionist agency that was set up in 2000 by the Olusegun Obasanjo administration as a replacement to the defunct Oil Minerals Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC).
The NDDC Act 2000 empowers the commission to receive statutory appropriation of three per cent from oil derivation revenues as special allocation in addition to 0ne per cent Ecological Fund from the nine states of Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo and Rivers, to enable it improve the welfare of the people of the oil-rich Niger Delta region.
As part of its mandate, the NDDC scholarship scheme was set up to improve the manpower capacity of Niger Delta youth by sponsoring them for Masters and PhD programmes in universities abroad.

Susan Serekara-Nwikhana

News

Rivers DPOs Receive Awards For Outstanding Performance In Crime Prevention …As Students, Media Group Honour CSP Worgu, CSP Yusuf

Published

2 days ago

August 17, 2026

The Tide

Two Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) in Rivers State have been honoured by separate groups for their contributions to security, crime prevention and improved community-police relations in their respective areas of responsibility.

The beneficiaries are the DPO of Afam Police Division, CSP Endurance Worgu and his counterpart at Oyigbo Police Division, CSP Bello Yusuf.

CSP Worgu was honoured by a group of students under the aegis of Rivers State Graduate Students Associations for what they described as his commitment and outstanding performance in the discharge of his duties.

The students, led by Chidi John Enyie, Esq. said CSP Worgu was selected based on his track record and status as one of the longest-serving young DPOs of Rivers State origin.

According to the group, CSP Worgu has made significant contributions to the protection of lives and property in the area since assuming office following the #EndSARS period.

The students said they were particularly impressed by the improvement in community-police relations under his leadership, noting that professionalism had remained a key feature of his service.

Enyie represented by Comrade Briggs Soku, said the students community was pleased to identify with a Rivers indigene who had distinguished himself in the police force.

He said the students considered it necessary to encourage and celebrate CSP Worgu because of his achievements as a young Rivers man excelling in a profession that many people from the state were often reluctant to join.

Receiving the award at his office in Afam, CSP Worgu expressed gratitude to God and the students for finding him worthy of the honour.

The DPO said the recognition had boosted his morale and encouraged him to sustain his efforts towards maintaining peace and security in the area.

He said he least expected the honour, particularly because it came from the students, adding that the recognition would further motivate him to serve the people better.

CSP Worgu assured residents of Afam that the police would sustain the existing peace in the area.

He appealed to members of the public to support the police by providing credible and timely information, stressing that useful information from residents would make the job of security personnel easier.

Meanwhile, the Ikwerre/Etche Media Association has also honoured the DPO of Oyigbo Police Division, CSP Bello Yusuf, for his efforts in tackling criminal activities in the area.

The media group presented the award following the swift tracking and arrest of five suspected kidnappers who had allegedly terrorised residents of the Kom-Kom axis and other parts of Oyigbo.

The group commended CSP Bello for what it described as his determined efforts to restore confidence and security in the affected communities, particularly Kom-Kom and Obeama.

According to the group, the arrest of the suspects demonstrated the DPO’s commitment to tackling criminality and safeguarding residents.

The media association said residents had received the development with relief, noting that the police action had sent a strong message to criminal elements operating in the area.

Responding, CSP Yusuf appreciated the group for the recognition and reaffirmed that there would be no room for criminality in Oyigbo.

He also commended the media for its role in disseminating credible information to the public, saying the media had remained supportive of the police in the fight against crime.

CSP Yusuf warned criminal elements operating in Oyigbo to leave the area or be prepared to face the full weight of the law.

He assured residents that the police would continue to pursue criminals and work to dismantle their hideouts, regardless of where they might be operating.

News

College Of Bishops Endorses Tinubu, APC Candidates For 2027 Polls

Published

2 days ago

August 17, 2026

The Tide

The 5000 Achievers Christian Forum and Colleges of Bishops, Archbishops and Apostles, a Christian interdenominational organisation, has endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and all candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State for the 2027 general elections.

International President of the forum, Archbishop Lucky Aroh, disclosed this during the ordination and consecration of three new Bishops, as well as an award ceremony held in Port Harcourt.

Aroh said the performance of the APC-led Federal Government had endeared the party to the organisation, prompting the forum to declare its support for President Tinubu and other APC candidates in Rivers State.

He said the forum would support all APC candidates in the state during the 2027 elections and urged Nigerians to vote for the party.

Aroh, who is also the General Overseer of Caring Peoples Church, Port Harcourt, charged the newly consecrated Bishops to see their new positions as a great responsibility and dedicate themselves to the advancement of the kingdom of God.

He cautioned them against conduct capable of bringing their offices into disrepute, stressing that their activities would be closely watched by members of the public.

“As Bishops, the eyes of the public are on your activities. You must therefore conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of your calling,” he said.

Also speaking, the International Coordinator of the forum, Bishop Saint Robinson, urged the newly consecrated Bishops to work diligently towards winning souls for the kingdom of God.

Robinson, who was the guest speaker at the event, stressed that the activities of Bishops must at all times be guided by godly principles.

He also called on members of the church to support and cooperate with the newly consecrated Bishops in the discharge of their responsibilities.

The Secretary of the College, Apostle Elizabeth Ayadi Abaye, said the organisation was established to advance the kingdom of God and promote spiritual development.

According to her, the forum has organised several crusades, conferences, prayer meetings, ordinations, consecrations, enthronements, empowerment programmes and other spiritual development activities across the country as part of efforts to win souls for Christ.

Abaye said the organisation has members across the world and disclosed that more programmes had been scheduled to promote the spiritual development and wellbeing of humanity.

The three Bishops consecrated at the ceremony were Prince Alban Chike, Testimony Omenihu Shedrach and Prince Ifemena.

Among those honoured at the event were the Chairman of the Community Development Committee (CDC), Abali Community, Port Harcourt City Local Government Area, Manuchimso Prince Lemmy Wopara, and Clifford Oko Jaja, Coordinator of the 5,000 House-to-House for President Tinubu.

By: John Bibor

News

Police Arrest Fake Soldier, Others For Armed Robbery, Kidnapping

Published

2 days ago

August 17, 2026

The Tide

The Rivers State Police Command has arrested a 49-year-old suspected fake soldier, Andrew Atausi, and several other suspects in connection with various criminal activities, including kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism, one-chance robbery and the alleged murder of police officers.

The State Commissioner of Police, CP Olugbenga Adepoju, disclosed this in Port Harcourt, recently during a press briefing at the Command Headquarters, where he said the arrests formed part of the operational achievements recorded by the Command between June and August 2026.

Adepoju said Atausi was arrested on August 10 by police operatives along Ada George, Port Harcourt, while dressed in military uniform and driving a Toyota Hilux painted in Army colours.

The Commissioner said investigation revealed that Atausi was not a member of the Armed Forces, adding that he was suspected to be a serial car snatcher, with three suspected stolen vehicles recovered from him.

He said the recovered vehicles included three Toyota Hilux vehicles without registration numbers and a Toyota Corona Premio with registration number BNY 380 ES, noting that the chassis and engine numbers of the vehicles had allegedly been tampered with.

Adepoju added that an axe and military accoutrements were also recovered from Atausi, as investigation continued into the circumstances surrounding the vehicles and other items recovered from him.

On the June 29 attack on police officers at Aluu Division, the Commissioner said three members of the gang allegedly responsible for the incident had been arrested by operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit, VCRU-AKU.

The suspects, identified as Maduabuchi Emeka, 34, alleged gang leader; Doctor Chinedu Owhor, 42, and Kamachi Joe, 28, alleged armourer, reportedly led operatives to their hideout at Omagwa where two AK-47 rifles stolen during the attack were recovered.

Adepoju recalled that two police officers were killed during the Aluu attack, while others were wounded and one officer had his leg amputated, stressing that efforts were ongoing to apprehend the fourth suspect.

On kidnapping, the Commissioner said five members of a suspected kidnapping syndicate were arrested in Oyigbo Local Government Area, adding that they allegedly confessed to operations in Kom-Kom, Railway, Obeama and Afam communities.

He said two other suspects from the same network, Anele Ogbogu, 35, alleged to be the gang’s armourer, and Kenneth Eke, 38, were arrested on July 27, with one AK-47 rifle and one SMG rifle recovered.

The Commissioner further disclosed the arrest of suspects in connection with alleged firearm offences, armed robbery, cultism and one-chance robbery, with firearms, ammunition and other exhibits recovered during the operations.

Adepoju assured residents that the Command would sustain intelligence-led, proactive and community-oriented policing in collaboration with other security agencies, while urging members of the public to continue providing credible information that would assist the police in combating crime across Rivers State.

By; King Onunwor