NDDC verifies, evaluates scholarship beneficiaries at Coventry University

LONDON, U.K – The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has commenced the verification, monitoring and evaluation of beneficiaries of its Foreign Post Graduate Scholarship programme in United Kingdom, with a visit to Coventry University.

Speaking at a meeting with representatives of the university at the Coventry campus, the NDDC Acting Executive Director Projects, Dr Cairo Ojoughoh, assured that the Commission would pay all outstanding fees and claims once the verification exercise was concluded.

The NDDC team, which included an Assistant Director in Education, Health and Social Services, Mrs Idara Akpabio and the Managing Director of Marg Education International Limited, the Commission’s consultants, Mr Godson Ideozu, was given a comprehensive list of its scholars in Coventry University by the institution’s Sponsored Student Manager, Laura Munoz Delgado.

Dr Ojougboh said that the visit to the Coventry University was necessary to verify the number of scholars, examine their performance and check on their wellbeing, especially in the light of the Corona Virus, Covid-19 pandemic. 

The Executive Director said he was impressed by the way the university had treated the NDDC scholars and their swift response in providing a list of the Commission’s scholarship beneficiaries at the institution for the verification process. He advised that in order to track progress in the future, there should be a more comprehensive reporting structure.

Dr Ojuogboh explained that the NDDC needed to verify the scholarship awards because of discrepancies in the number of students and the fact that some of those awarded the scholarships in 2019 did not leave Nigeria for studies in the UK.

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The Coventry University Regional Manager Africa, Mr Amit Bhatnagar, confirmed that many NDDC scholars had passed through the institution over the years and that a good number of them were still with them.

According to the Regional Manager, “the NDDC scholars are regarded as ‘VIP’ (Gold tagged) scholars,” stating that they were usually given all necessary assistance on their arrival at the institution.