NDDC to pay abandoned scholars this week after Buhari's intervention

The Niger Delta Development Commission has said that it will pay its scholarship beneficiaries studying abroad by the end of the week after the President, Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) ordered the commission to make the payment.

This was contained in a statement titled ‘NDDC invites President Buhari to Commission Signature Project’ and signed by the NDDC Director, Corporate Affairs, Charles Odili, on Tuesday.

Recall that the scholarship beneficiaries of the NDDC on Monday protested their alleged abandonment by the commission, who has refused to pay their upkeep and tuition.

Odili said Buhari conveyed the directive to the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio.

The order is coming barely 24 hours after the abandoned students protested at the Nigeria High Commission office in London.

The statement quoted Odili as saying, “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, CBN.

“With the death of Chief Etang, the remittance has to await the appointment of a new EDFA. Senator Akpabio, the Honourable Minister, said President Buhari who has been briefed on the protest by students at the Nigerian High Commission in London, has ordered that all stops be pulled to pay the students by the end of this week. We expect a new EDFA to be appointed this week. As soon as that is done, they would all be paid.”

See a video of the protest staged in London, United kIngdom below:

Update on NDDC Scholars Protest in London, We have been deceived every single month for a year now. Enough is enough #NDDC #NDDCProbe @seunokin @NGRPresident @nassnigeria pic.twitter.com/znY8po6Gfj

— NDDC Scholars 2019 (@2019Nddc) August 3, 2020