The Interim Management Committee of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has been ordered by President Muhammadu Buhari to pay beneficiaries of the commission’s scholarship in Institutions of higher learning within the next seven days.
Charleston Odili, NDDC Director of Corporate Affairs, broke the good news after delivering the NDDC management’s invitation to Mr. President to inaugurate the 29-kilometre Ogbia-Nembe Road in Bayelsa state.
The beneficiaries of the commission’s scholarship in the United Kingdom protested recently over the non-payment of their tuition fees
The students who their protest to the Nigerian High Commission in London had expressed their displeasure over “negligence of their welfare “by the NDDC management.
The scholars lamented that they have been stranded since the NDDC stopped paying their tuition and allowances one year after they were awarded the scholarship.
In a statement, Odili said scholars of the commission “who are facing hardships abroad” because of the non-remittance of their fees and stipends would be paid by the end of the week following an order by President Buhari.
He said the delay in the remittance of the fees was caused by the sudden death of Ibanga Etang, NDDC former acting executive director, finance and administration, in May.
“Under the commission’s finance protocol, only the executive director (finance) and the executive director (projects) can sign for the release of funds from the commission’s domiciliary accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria,” he said.
“With the death of Chief Etang, the remittance had to wait pending the appointment of a new EDFA, he said.