600 Scholars Receive NDDC Local Postgraduate Scholarship Awards

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has awarded postgraduate scholarship to 600 successful candidates under its 2025/2026 Local Postgraduate Scholarship Programme, reaffirming its commitment to fostering human capital development across the region.

The award presentation ceremony, held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, drew stakeholders, scholars, and community leaders. Presenting the scholarship letters, NDDC Managing Director, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, described the initiative as a strategic investment in the intellectual and socio-economic growth of the Niger Delta.

Ogbuku, accompanied by the Executive Director of Corporate Services, Hon. Ifedayo Abegunde, and Bayelsa State Representative on the NDDC Board, Senator Dimaro Denyanbofa, urged the beneficiaries to excel in their academic pursuits and serve as responsible ambassadors of the region.

The NDDC boss noted that the commission’s scholarship programme has continued to yield impressive results, highlighting that 32 beneficiaries recently graduated with distinction from Coventry University in the United Kingdom. He encouraged the new awardees to maintain focus, integrity, and commitment, adding that the Commission would continue to create platforms that inspire academic excellence and regional progress.

In his remarks, NDDC’s Director of Education, Health, and Social Services, Dr. George Uzowanne, disclosed that the 600 awardees emerged from a pool of 46,240 applicants through a transparent electronic selection process. “This scholarship is not just a reward for excellence but an investment in the future of the Niger Delta,” he said.

Uzowanne explained that the beneficiaries were selected across key disciplines — including engineering, environmental sciences, technology, humanities, and management sciences — to address the region’s development challenges.

Also speaking, Dr. Angela Chukwudifu, Director of Education, emphasized that the focus on local institutions ensures that beneficiaries remain connected to the realities and opportunities within their communities. “The Local Postgraduate Scholarship Programme keeps our brightest minds grounded in the Niger Delta experience, strengthening their sense of ownership and responsibility toward regional growth,” she said.

Responding on behalf of the beneficiaries, the best-performing candidate, Mr. Reginald Omubo-Pepple, expressed gratitude to the NDDC for the opportunity to further their education. He pledged that the scholars would represent the Commission and the Niger Delta with distinction and contribute meaningfully to the region’s development.

The event underscored the NDDC’s renewed drive to nurture a new generation of professionals equipped to drive innovation, tackle environmental challenges, and build a prosperous future for the Niger Delta region.