NITDA sponsors 17 postgraduate students to Turkey varsities

Aminat Isah, Abuja

National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has announced the sponsorship of some lucky postgraduate students to resume their studies in various Information Technology and related fields in Turkey.

The Director General of NITDA, Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, disclosed this while addressing the 16 masters degree and one PhD candidates in Abuja and urged them to be good ambassadors of Nigeria, NITDA and their respective families.

The DG, who was represented at the event by the Director Information Technology Infrastructure Solutions Dr. Usman Abdullahi Gambo admonished the students to consider themselves lucky to be selected among the over two thousand applicants across the country through a keenly contested exercise.

The students represented the first batch of 40 postgraduate students that scaled the hurdles and prove their mettle to enjoy NITDA’s scholarship this year.

ROYAL NEWS reports that they are expected to pursue a postgraduate degree in Masters and PhD at the prestigious FIRAT University in Turkey.

Director, E-Government, Dr. Vincent Olatunji, reminded the students of the enormous responsibilities they are shouldering by representing Nigeria and NITDA because they will henceforth be regarded as NITDA Scholars, as they will have to justify the confidence repose on them by coming out in flying colours with destabilizing innovations that will take the world by storm.

The students were also reminded of their signed agreement with NITDA to return to Nigeria after their studies to give back to the country for a minimum of three years.

“Go there fight and be the best. Do not expect jobs but be creative and create jobs. you do not have excuse to disappoint Nigeria,” Said Olatunji

Speaking on behalf of the students, the only PhD candidate in their midst, expressed joy and thanked NITDA for restoring the love of Nigeria in their minds.

“I had earlier lost all hope in the country believing that nothing good can happen to a commoner who has no God father but with this seamless exercise that was strictly based on merit I now wish to pledge my love and loyalty to the country with a promise to give back to the society from what I have benefitted,” He said.

The selection of masters degree students whose duration of study is between one year or 18 months was based on one student per state of the federation including FCT, while the PhD students, whose duration of study is 3 years, were selected on the basis of one student per zone.