Presidential Scholarship Scheme

In Nigeria, good things are always not supported especially if the poor are beneficiaries.

Last year in Abuja, a total of 623 candidates met the criteria for selection for the second edition of the Presidential Special Scholarship Scheme for Innovation and Development (PRESSID) and were invited for the screening as stated by the Chairman of the scheme, Prof. Julius Okojie.

Okojie, who is the Executive Secretary of National Universities Commission and the acting Minister of Education were invited by the House of Assembly to explain why some states had more students  who benefited from the scholaship while most States in the Northern part of Nigeria had none.

Okojie, who is the Chairman, Implementation Committee of PRESSID, said that shortlisted candidates sat for the screening examination on Dec. 10 at Chams Plc as against  446 candidates who wrote the test for the first edition of PRESSID in 2012/2013 academic session out of whom 100 were selected.

Okojie explained to the House that the scheme was part of efforts to achieve the goals of Vision 20:2020 and President Goodluck Jonathan’s Transformation Agenda.

”Federal Government of Nigeria has plans to develop a critical mass of professionals, who will serve as catalysts of change and agents of scientific and technological advancement as well as sustainable economic development.

”But this can only be achieved through the sponsorship of outstanding students for postgraduate studies in the top 25 universities in the world.

”This is why the Federal Government has instituted the Presidential Special Scholarship Scheme for Innovation and Development,” he said.

Okojie said that the scheme was for graduates who obtained first class degrees from recognised and approved universities.

 He said the graduates must be in the areas of sciences, medicine, basic medical sciences, engineering, economics, special aspects of biology, nuclear physics, quantitative genetics, medical biochemistry,  
aeronautical engineering, among others. 
 These top Universities in Europe, US, Asia and Canada are some out of the 25 higher Institutions selected by the Federal Government for the Scheme.
 

University of Cambridge United Kingdom

Harvard University United States

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) United States

University of Oxford United Kingdom

Imperial College London United Kingdom

ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) Switzerland

University of Edinburgh United Kingdom

University of Hong Kong (HKU) Hong Kong

University of Toronto Canada

The University of Tokyo Japan

This academic session, 104 beneficiaries emerged out of the 623 that met the criteria for selection after screening done by experts in the fields identified and are to study in one of the Universities listed above. There beneficiaries are selected in the fields where the Country is experiencing personnel shortfall. 

This is one of the beneficiary for this year who was at the hearing at the assembly. The Chairman maintained that In the written screening exercise, each candidate was to come with his A game as no political connection is required for selection but academic suavity, a must.

This year Ogun State and other States in the South had more candidates and the powers that be in the north are not happy. They maintained that excellence should be thrown out of the window and quota system should be  used so that the dullard in the North can benefit from the Scholarship. Can you imagine that? When will we get over this quota nonsense that has institutionalize mediocrity in Nigeria and embrace intelligence?.  

Because their candidates did not make it, the so called legislators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria have put the Scholarship on hold. 
God will deliver us from this retrogressive agents. This is a very commendable gesture from the Federal Government that must be allowed to stay. Nigeria needs more professionals and this is the only way to get them.