Hundreds of beneficiaries of the 2025 Local Postgraduate Scholarship Scheme organised by the Niger Delta Development Commission have raised concerns over the non-payment of their scholarship funds eight months after the awards were announced.
The affected postgraduate students from Niger Delta states including Rivers, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Edo, Ondo, Cross River, Abia and Imo described the delay as frustrating and devastating, saying it has disrupted their academic activities and worsened their financial struggles.
According to the scholars, the scholarship programme, designed to support educational advancement and human capital development in the Niger Delta region, has instead become a source of hardship for many beneficiaries who have already completed the commission’s verification and screening processes.
One of the affected students explained that despite receiving award letters on October 8, 2025, and fulfilling all documentation requirements, many beneficiaries are yet to receive payment from the commission.
The scholars lamented that several students have been unable to pay tuition fees, accommodation costs, and research expenses, while some have reportedly been denied access to examinations and academic portals due to unpaid school charges.
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They also accused the commission of poor communication, alleging that repeated attempts to seek clarification through emails, phone calls, social media messages and WhatsApp platforms yielded no official response beyond repeated assurances that payment would be made “soon.”
According to the students, only a few beneficiaries reportedly received payment around March 2026, while the majority remained unpaid without any clear explanation regarding the payment criteria or timeline for the second phase.
Some beneficiaries said the delay has forced them to borrow money to continue their studies, while others claimed their thesis work and research projects had been suspended because they could no longer meet academic financial obligations.
One scholar said the situation had caused emotional, psychological and financial stress, adding that students who should be concluding their programmes were now stranded because they could not access academic resources or complete required payments.
Another beneficiary alleged that the delay had extended his academic session after he was locked out of his postgraduate portal for failing to pay outstanding fees.
The aggrieved scholars further disclosed plans to stage a mass protest at the NDDC headquarters in Port Harcourt on June 3, 2026, to demand immediate payment and accountability from the commission.
They also expressed concern that another phase of the scholarship programme was allegedly being processed while beneficiaries from the previous batch were still awaiting payment.
The students appealed to the NDDC management to urgently release a transparent payment schedule and expedite the disbursement process to prevent further academic disruption.
Reacting to the complaints, the Managing Director of the commission, Samuel Ogbuku, stated that payment for the first phase had already been made, adding that the second phase was in its final stage of processing.
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