I am writing on behalf of the Nigerian Presidential Scholarship (PRESSID) scholars. This scholarship scheme was inaugurated in 2012 under the past administration to sponsor Nigerian students who graduated with a First Class for their MSc and PhD degrees in any of the top 25 (later increased to top 100) universities in the world.
We all came from universities all over Nigeria and beyond to write a test conducted by National Universities Commission (NUC) and the top approximately 100 qualified for the scholarship. We were tasked with getting our admission into any of the top 25 universities in the world within two years of being awarded the scholarship. We signed a bond to return to contribute acquired knowledge and expertise to the development of our beloved country Nigeria. The scholarship was meant to cover tuition fees and living expenses for the duration of our studies, and a return flight ticket. We were also split into groups with different part-funders, where some are funded by PTDF and some by TETFund.
Since the beginning of the 2016/17 session that is now almost over, our tuition fees and living stipends have not been paid. We have tried all we can to reach out to NUC (our primary point of contact) but they have stopped replying our emails or picking our calls. Our various academic institutions have also reached out to them but all to no avail. We have written the President, the Vice President, the SSA to the President on Diaspora and Youth Affairs and the Minister of Education. We have proof of receipt of letters from all offices except the State House, as the person who received the letter from our representative said they do not stamp letters to prevent forgery. We are yet to receive any response. We have accumulated debts while trying to survive out here, and our tuition fees are long due. Our academic institutions are now threatening legal actions against us if our accumulated debts are not settled. We do not know what to do anymore.
Speaking for myself, I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to be sponsored on this prestigious scholarship scheme. I excitedly accepted the offer in 2014 and the experience has indeed been beneficial to both my personal and professional development. I am mid-way through my PhD programme and eagerly looking forward to finishing my studies so that I can return to contribute to the development of our country. Unfortunately, the current state of things threatens this reality. However, I am very optimistic that your intervention would lead to a quick resolution of this matter.
Oladayo Oladiran,
McGill University, Montreal, Canada
