NDDC links London protest with ploy to stop probe of ever rising bill of foreign scholarship

PORT HARCOURT, Rivers, Nigeria – The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has described the proposed protest in London against the commission as part of ploy by beneficiaries of corruption to stop probe of the ever rising bill of its Foreign Post Graduate Scholarship programme.

Director of Corporate Affairs, NDDC, Mr. Charles Obi Odili who described the  protest as dubious, mischievous and potentially criminal said it was put together by certain individuals and hirelings, most of whom are masquerading as the Commission’s scholars, over non-payment of unverified scholarship fund.

He said bills for the Post Graduate Foreign Scholarship keep rising astronomically even when the IMC has not approved new foreign scholarship.

Charles Obi Odili explained that in 2018, the Commission paid a total of $900,000.00 only to cover the Commission’s obligations to its scholars. In 2019, the amount paid rose to a total of $3.5million only and that recently, the IMC paid out a total of $5.99m to cover all the verified obligations to our scholars. Now, there is a demand for an additional payment of $3million (Three Million Dollars), bringing the total to an alarming $9million (Nine Million Dollars). Therefore, the mission and goal behind this planned protest is patently dubious, mischievous, underhand and potentially criminal

“This is part of an ongoing campaign, orchestrated by powerful individuals who are part of the systemic corruption uncovered by the Interim Management Committee, IMC, in the Commission’s administration of the Foreign Postgraduate Scholarship”.

He said it is has become imperative to question the rationale for the ever rising bill of the Post Graduate Foreign Scholarship Programme

Charles Obi Odili explained that in 2018, the Commission paid a total of $900,000.00 only to cover the Commission’s obligations to its scholars. In 2019, the amount paid rose to a total of $3.5million only and that recently, the IMC paid out a total of $5.99m to cover all the verified obligations to our scholars.

“Now, there is a demand for an additional payment of $3million (Three Million Dollars), bringing the total to an alarming $9million (Nine Million Dollars). Therefore, the mission and goal behind this planned protest is patently dubious, mischievous, underhand and potentially criminal”, he said.

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The image maker of the NDDC said every rational being  is thus forced to ask “why  the amount paid to cover obligations to this foreign scholarship programme is  rising astronomically? Where are all these demands coming from? What do they cover? Who are behind them?

He said that since the establishment of the IMC, no scholarship has been awarded, due to the ongoing forensic audit and wondered why the IMC is being blackmailed, threatened, cajoled and intimidated to make these payments, without verification.

“Since the institution of the forensic audit by President Muhammadu Buhari, the IMC has uncovered a culture of rampant corruption and abuse in the Commission. Many very powerful individuals who benefited from the years of sleaze have been on the attack. Their unfortunate mission, which is against the directives of President Buhari and the dream and expectations of the people of the Niger Delta region, of a Commission that can finally and efficiently address their long years of neglect and poverty, is simple: to frustrate, scuttle and undermine the forensic audit, as well as cause the disbandment of the IMC”.

According to him, these frightened elements are fighting to ensure that the Federal Government is not able to unearth the culture of wanton abuse and corruption that necessitated the forensic audit.

“They are waging a failing battle to stop the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, as well as the IMC, from uncovering the massive abuse of the Commission that has made it impossible for this interventionist agency to meet its mandate to the Niger Delta region. Their looting of the commonwealth of the Niger Delta region has further impoverished the people, making the region littered with abandoned or poorly executed projects and programmes, and a graveyard of the people’s dreams”, he said, stressing that the  IMC wishes to restate that no amount of blackmail, threats, personal, political and media intimidation, as well as the unwholesome machinations of these characters and their paid allies on the backstreets of London will stop the IMC from getting to the roots of the looting and corruption.

He said the IMC and relevant officers of the Commission will undertake a long-planned and approved trip to United Kingdom this September, to verify these obvious and unexplained discrepancies in the Commission’s foreign postgraduate scholarship programme.

During this trip, which was planned to happen earlier in April, 2020, the Commission’s team will visit the universities where  scholars are studying for various Masters and Doctorate degrees.

“We strongly believe that these planned protest aims to scare the Commission from undertaking this very necessary and vital verification”, he assured, adding that  the NDDC will neither be intimidated, nor cowed.

“It is the objective of the Federal Government to stop unscrupulous characters, no matter how powerful they are, from reaping where they did not sow, and undermining the capacity and moral authority of the Commission to fulfill its mandate of regional sustainable development”, Odili said.