A total of 43 young Nigerians have been left in the lurch after scholarships they won under the National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA Post-Graduate Scholarship Scheme was suddenly withdrawn under controversial circumstances.
PREMIUM TIMES understands that the scholarship scheme is aimed at promoting competency and proficiency amongst Nigerians in Information Technology at Doctorate and Masters Levels. It is a form of support towards assisting such Nigerians with funding to achieve their educational aspirations.
The scheme usually selects two persons per state, including the Federal Capital Territory, FCT at masters’ level and one person per geopolitical zone of the country at doctorate level.
The agency on its website claims to have “successfully sponsored 247 Nigerian Graduates in Information Technology fields at post graduate level and 24 for doctorate” adding that it is “continually monitoring skill gaps in the field with a view to help create a capable workforce that can face the challenges of the Agency’s vision of Nigeria becoming an Information Technology driven economy.”
However, the 43 applicants who applied in the 2016/2017 latest round of the exercise have had their dreams cut short as the offers given to them after successfully navigating the months-long intensive selection process were withdrawn by NITDA under circumstances the applicants tell PREMIUM TIMES are unfair and unsettling.
This newspaper learnt that 43 successful candidates emerged from the exercise – 37 M.Sc. awardees representing each state and the nation’s Federal Capacity Territory, and an additional 6 Ph.D. candidates for the six geopolitical zones.
A cross section of the affected applicants who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES under condition of anonymity for fear of being victimised said they are unhappy about the manner the scholarships were withdrawn after they had spent their resources and energy going through the process.
An applicant recounted his experiences in the selection process which he said was so intensive that when he was eventually selected, ‘he was exhilarated.’
‘‘It was on a bright Sunday afternoon (October 02, 2016) that I received a congratulatory email from NITDA confirming that I was successful in the rigorous scholarship aptitude test I wrote on Wednesday (9/28/2016), 9am at Public Service Institute, PSIN, Dutsen Alhaji, Abuja. I was elated by the great news and my hope for continuing my studies up to the postgraduate level was revived. That was my first time of visiting Abuja,” he said.
He said that afterwards, he joined the other successful applicants from different states to attend “a one-on-one interview” with NITDA officials.
‘‘The credentials sighting did not hold on the said day due to the change in the administration of the agency; so, we were told to go back home and they assured us that they will contact us,’’ he said.
But they were in for sporadic shocks.
“Days passed, weeks went by and months elapsed and none of us received any correspondence from NITDA. Some of us, the scholars, decided to follow up and inquire about the status quo by contacting notable staffs of NITDA.
“When we contacted them earlier this year, we were ‘sweet talked’ and they kept assuring us that they haven’t forgotten us that they are doing all that is necessary on our situation. We were once told that the reason for the delay was because they are negotiating with international institutions for our admission. This rekindled our spirits and we kept our hopes alive.
“Later on, they said they had to wait for the passage of the budget before we will be officially contacted.
We waited, and after the Nigerian budget was passed, we once again contacted NITDA, but this time around they said their fiscal year was different from that of the country that theirs would commence August. We continued contacting them but they resorted to complicated tactics in a bid to side-line us,’’ he said.
In one of the emails sent to some of the applicants after weeks of silence, they were asked to hold on.
A copy of the email response PREMIUM TIMES saw said tersely: ‘You will be contacted as soon as the Agency is done with necessary arrangements. We are sorry for any inconvenience this might or have cost you. Thank you.’
It was signed by one Ajayi Jide, Head, Servicom Unit, NITDA.
