NDDC Administers Computer Tests To 6,000 Scholarship Applicants

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) administered a Computer-Based Test (CBT) to 6,000 applicants from the nine Niger Delta states for its Foreign Postgraduate Scholarship program.

Speaking at the Rivers State University’s Information and Communication Technology Centre in Port Harcourt, NDDC Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Alabo Boma Iyaye, stated that the Commission’s human capacity development programmes were intentional.

He stated: “The successful applicants for the Computer-Based Test are drawn from all nine Niger Delta states, and the test sessions are spread out over three days.

“We encountered some difficulties during the shortlisting process because some applicants were unable to submit the required information and documents.”

The Executive Director noted that the financial burden of the foreign scholarship was significant. He did, however, assure the Commission that the programme would continue and that new components, such as scholarships at local universities, would be added.

Iyaye announced that the NDDC would establish scholarships for undergraduate students at Nigerian universities. “This will allow us to accommodate more people in the scholarship programme,” he explained.

Dr George Uzonwanne, NDDC Director of Education, Health, and Social Services, stated that the scholarship program, which began in 2010, was intended to produce top-level professionals with technical knowledge, capacity, and expertise to compete in the oil and gas industry and other sectors.

He stated: “The Scholarship Programme will provide our young people with relevant training and skills for effective participation in the Federal Government’s local content program, as well as the opportunity to specialise in their fields of study and compete globally in various disciplines.

Uzonwanne expressed confidence that the transparent process of selecting beneficiaries for the foreign scholarship scheme would continue to yield top performers.

He stated that the scholarship program included science disciplines such as engineering, agriculture, environmental science, geosciences, information technology, and management science. Others include law and architecture.