The 210 beneficiaries of the 2014 Niger Delta Development Commission, (NDDC), Postgraduate foreign scholarship programme have received their award letters.
While doing the pre departure briefing, the Managing Director of the Commission, Bassey Dan-Abia, who was represented by his Special Adviser on Administration, Sunday Obiofiong, encouraged the students to be good ambassadors of Nigeria and be studious so as to excel in their chosen fields of study.
Mr Abia promised that the commission would not delay in providing funds for their school fees and accommodation.
He advised the students to emulate previous beneficiaries of the scholarship whom he said set enviable standard making the Commission proud by their conduct and academic achievements.
The Director for Education, Health and Social Service of the NDDC, Dr Solomon Ita, said that the postgraduate scholarship scheme which started in 2010 was meant to equip Niger Delta youths with relevant training and skills for effective participation in the local content programmes of the Federal Government.
Dr Ita said that there was need to position young graduates from the region to complete globally in various professional fields, noting that before now, the oil and gas industry has discriminated against fresh graduates from the region whom they dismissed as not having relevant qualifications.
He further said that the scholarship scheme was designed to expose the students to other developed environments outside their country.