Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio on Wednesday disclosed that plans are underway to review the controversial foreign scholarship scheme currently being funded by the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.
According to Akpabio who made this disclosure in Port Harcourt while addressing journalists in preparation for the inauguration of the 13-floor N16bn new NDDC office building, the funds used for training of a few students abroad would now be channelled into training many others back home in Nigerian universities.
While stating that the decision to review the commission’s scholarship programme became necessary going by the millions of foreign currency spent to train a few students abroad, the minister said the review is part of the many changes that would be enforced in the NDDC in the aftermath of the forensic audit of the commission.
“Last year alone, NDDC spent about $12 million to pay school fees for students overseas under its postgraduate scholarship scheme.
“Instead of spending $20,000 to train one student per year abroad, we can use that same money to train more students that are doing well in Nigerian universities.
“We should not spend money to send students abroad to go and study the English Language when we can use that same money to train hundreds or thousands in our local universities.
“We can only send students abroad on specialised courses and courses we don’t have in Nigeria.
“So, when you look at NDDC, it is not just the mismanagement of resources but also the corruption associated with its policies and operations,” Akpabio added.
