₦airaland Forum

freedomest:
Pls if you are an EH and have not dropped a very friendly reminder to NNPC Twitter handle or GMD'S handle, do so. Remember, you wrote aptitude test same time with GTs, Interview same time with GTs, Transport allowance collection, same time with GTs; so it is not wrong to give a warm reminder to our great GMD and good NNPC

You worry too much

Has anyone that used Abuja address gotten his/hers? If yes, please from which courier service company?

Mustaphatk:
Please is there anyone that hasn't received APL yet? I am worried because I am yet to receive mine and others have received theirs since last week. I live in Kaduna.

Have you called the courier man?

Nnpccourtcase:
You worry too much

Sorry oooh!! Bear with me!!

Please oh for we non engineers, what is Newton's 3rd law

Tjayelbee:
Some of you are very funny and myopic!

Most of our institutions in the North are embodiment of character and learning. I pray you get into this same NNPC that you’re bitter about and see the representation of the Northerners that you think were ‘favored’ by federal character. You’d be shocked to the bones. Most of the high-fliers in most of the sets either in DPR or NNPC and her subsidiaries are of northern extraction. This is mostly simply because they have matched capacity with character. It is not by gra-gra or ‘baffing up’ or your so called exposure or even sharp practices. Noise as we know it, is made by empty drums. This same arrogance and low self confidence you display at every opportunity and instance will be your downcast identity if you ever get into the corporation.
We don’t buy certificates, we equally don’t forge it. Its either we have it or we don’t. We hold our 2.2s and 3s with pride because it’s the result of our input. So do we our 2.1s and 1st. It’s not a do or die thing for us.
Some years back, I remember an NNPC recruitment that the panelists discovered most 2.1 graduates of Geology from University of Maiduguri and ABU performed better than the very many 1st class graduates that came from the south, especially east! Not to boast or anything, in my masters class in the UK, there were instances we helped a lecturer with the Geology aspect of his course because he wasn’t a Geologist. Our colleagues from other parts had this same mentality you all are displaying at the very beginning of the programme year.. “these malo guys no sabi anything”. I promise you by the end of that program the difference was beyond clear. We had five DPR staff, 3 from the north, 2 from the west. Boy ol’boy, those guys were top notch. Even after so many years in the field, the Engineering that was still in them was just awesome. Aliyu was not very outspoken, perhaps you’d laugh at his accent, but that man was an all-rounder, damn. Abu was eloquent and top notch, those in the industry may know him because of unionism. Tola was quiet but he knew virtually everything. Great guys I tell you. I concluded that year that there really was merit in DPR recruitments.

You see, we are hardly the nagging or complaining type. We make do with what is at hand and forget what puts us in bewilderment. We don’t trouble our hearts. We have have alot of pointers to what we can say are our problems with the south and how they are also causing untoward hardship and embarrassments to the rest of Nigerians especially by their actions in the diaspora, but you don’t find us hampering on these things or castigating the whole region. Even in the north, we know that alot of easterners contribute to our woes.. kidnapping our children to the east, importing hard drugs and making fat cash in the north. The ones doing legitimate spare parts business have complete monopoly of the business, you dare not try to join in - we don’t any way cuz we’re happy with that balance. They easily own lands and mansions without any hassle because we believe they’re entitled to as long as they got the purchasing power. Can you dare do that in the east? Lot’s of you come for the 1 year NYSC and find it difficult to go back to your places, yet you insult us at the slightest instance. We have housed southern corpers in gov’t lodges, we have posted them to even the Government House, we have encouraged them to stay afterwards. Heck, we give appointments in Govt to southerners who have stayed with us for long. This is the kind of energy we expect in return, or at worst bear with us as we grow.
Now what will shock you the most is the South can only say they are educationally ahead of the North statistically i.e percentage-wise. But in terms of sheer numbers it’s insane to think that the North is behind. This is not unrelated to our population vis-a-viz the current aggressive drive for education, Although much more needs to done. We have issues, there’s no denying. The West is one and only region that is holistically education-driven, and they put it to good use. They form part of the network that salvage the image of the country in the diaspora.. y’know Professors in various fields and some even serve in foreign governments.
Economic status of the North and Northerners that is generally overlooked by mainstream statistical indices is a topic for another day.

In essence, let’s respect ourselves and our differences. I am sorry for derailing this thread but it’s a result of Newton’s 3rd law.

Peace!

Nnpccourtcase:
You worry too much

Really? So he shouldn't be worried. Abeg throway update abeg

ExposeThem101:
Has anyone that used Abuja address gotten his/hers? If yes, please from which courier service company?

BETA COURIER SERVICES

Suite 205, Willands Plaza, Plot 511, Herbert Macaulay Way, Zone 4, Wuse, Abuja, Nigeria.

Please I just pm you sir

vyke2008:
I tot you are a STEM grad. Don't worry, will hit you if something in your area crops. Just keep ya hope alive!

U09ce:
Have you called the courier man?

I don't have his contact. Please help me with it if you have. My contact 08132806356

favouredpikin:
Am from Imo state
Did the courier service firm call on you on phone

Please which courier service is that? I don't know whether mine is with them.

Dmamasboy:
Yeah they did. Had to go and meet the guy to collect

Please which courier service is that. I'm yet to receive mine. I want to check if it's with them.

But wait oh, thought some were expectant of a miracle whereby they get called by a courier service to come pick up APL even without hitherto getting the earlier APL notification by email or SMS....? Biko indicate if you have enjoyed such favor so we rejoice with you!

Lest I forget, where is Teddyx that told the house to stay tuned that NNPC was not done contacting all the 1050 successful candidates?

Some of the evils of quota system

In 2014, I and several other Nigerian University graduates had been shortlisted to write the Presidential Special Scholarship (PRESSID) designed exclusively for First Class Nigerian graduates who wanted to pursue both Masters and PhD in any top 25 Universities in the world. President Goodluck Jonathan had set the scheme up and the idea was to build a strong team of brilliant Nigerians who will come back to serve the country years later.

There were a little above one thousand of us who wrote the exam at CHAMS, Abuja. At the time, I was already lecturing in UNN so most of my friends (who were also my colleagues) enrolled. 16 of us in total. It was a computer-based test so we knew our fate instantly. I had scored 94% in the exam. In fact, 15 of us from UNN scored between 80 and 97%. Man! We came out of the exam hall completely joyous. We were so sure we had got the scholarship. And we were right. Sometime in February 2015, the list of 101 successful candidates was shortlisted in the National Dailies. Fifteen of us were on that list. I had applied to Princeton University, Imperial College London and University of Toronto already. That phase of our lives was glorious.

Fast forward to March 2015, Goodluck lost the elections to Mr. Buhari. That was where things started to take a new turn. Shortly after Mr Buhari was sworn in, he had recalled the list and complained that there was no single northerner on it. He believed it was an agenda of the South. Right before our eyes, meritocracy was shortchanged for Federal character. It was first like a joke, but we all lost that huge scholarship. It was worth about $250,000 per person (tuition and living expenses inclusive across 5 years). Before then I had little faith in the country but when this happened, I became weary of the country.

Thankfully, later that year, I got a full scholarship from University of Toronto for my Masters and PhD (6 years in total). Of those other 14 friends of mine, 13 of them have also moved since then - US, Canada, UK, New Zealand, Japan etc. Obviously we moved on but truth is, the life we have now was afforded to us by the Government of another country, many of which will seduce you with permanent residency and citizenship afterwards.

Any nation that shortchanges merit for anything else will fall. Nigeria has the brightest people, yet, we are where we are (in Osibanjo's voice).
These people will corroborate my story as they were also winners of the PRESSID scholarship

These people will corroborate my story as they were also winners of the PRESSID scholarship: Odoeze Jideofor Okagu Ogadimma Olikagu Sylvia Chisom Hyacinth Ali David Chukwuma Izuogu Samuel Olisa Chima Eke and others.

Sad!
~Chidozie Ojobor

And someone will wonder why many of our bright minds are leaving
Sad...

yungmin:
Some of the evils of quota system

In 2014, I and several other Nigerian University graduates had been shortlisted to write the Presidential Special Scholarship (PRESSID) designed exclusively for First Class Nigerian graduates who wanted to pursue both Masters and PhD in any top 25 Universities in the world. President Goodluck Jonathan had set the scheme up and the idea was to build a strong team of brilliant Nigerians who will come back to serve the country years later.

There were a little above one thousand of us who wrote the exam at CHAMS, Abuja. At the time, I was already lecturing in UNN so most of my friends (who were also my colleagues) enrolled. 16 of us in total. It was a computer-based test so we knew our fate instantly. I had scored 94% in the exam. In fact, 15 of us from UNN scored between 80 and 97%. Man! We came out of the exam hall completely joyous. We were so sure we had got the scholarship. And we were right. Sometime in February 2015, the list of 101 successful candidates was shortlisted in the National Dailies. Fifteen of us were on that list. I had applied to Princeton University, Imperial College London and University of Toronto already. That phase of our lives was glorious.

Fast forward to March 2015, Goodluck lost the elections to Mr. Buhari. That was where things started to take a new turn. Shortly after Mr Buhari was sworn in, he had recalled the list and complained that there was no single northerner on it. He believed it was an agenda of the South. Right before our eyes, meritocracy was shortchanged for Federal character. It was first like a joke, but we all lost that huge scholarship. It was worth about $250,000 per person (tuition and living expenses inclusive across 5 years). Before then I had little faith in the country but when this happened, I became weary of the country.

Thankfully, later that year, I got a full scholarship from University of Toronto for my Masters and PhD (6 years in total). Of those other 14 friends of mine, 13 of them have also moved since then - US, Canada, UK, New Zealand, Japan etc. Obviously we moved on but truth is, the life we have now was afforded to us by the Government of another country, many of which will seduce you with permanent residency and citizenship afterwards.

Any nation that shortchanges merit for anything else will fall. Nigeria has the brightest people, yet, we are where we are (in Osibanjo's voice).
These people will corroborate my story as they were also winners of the PRESSID scholarship

These people will corroborate my story as they were also winners of the PRESSID scholarship: Odoeze Jideofor Okagu Ogadimma Olikagu Sylvia Chisom Hyacinth Ali David Chukwuma Izuogu Samuel Olisa Chima Eke and others.

Sad!
~Chidozie Ojobor

Pls where is this coming from? I mean how can one have an unfinished projects, and you want one not to be worried. Please delete that your post and appear you didn't post that....

Nnpccourtcase:
You worry too much

Pls all EH should go to NNPC Twitter account and say something concerning our yet to be concluded recruitment exercise. Use the ashtag already provided at the previous page. Regrads

Oando has invited people for second level online test today, check your mail, if successful, practice questions for success...

Start Test Here

yungmin:
Some of the evils of quota system

In 2014, I and several other Nigerian University graduates had been shortlisted to write the Presidential Special Scholarship (PRESSID) designed exclusively for First Class Nigerian graduates who wanted to pursue both Masters and PhD in any top 25 Universities in the world. President Goodluck Jonathan had set the scheme up and the idea was to build a strong team of brilliant Nigerians who will come back to serve the country years later.

There were a little above one thousand of us who wrote the exam at CHAMS, Abuja. At the time, I was already lecturing in UNN so most of my friends (who were also my colleagues) enrolled. 16 of us in total. It was a computer-based test so we knew our fate instantly. I had scored 94% in the exam. In fact, 15 of us from UNN scored between 80 and 97%. Man! We came out of the exam hall completely joyous. We were so sure we had got the scholarship. And we were right. Sometime in February 2015, the list of 101 successful candidates was shortlisted in the National Dailies. Fifteen of us were on that list. I had applied to Princeton University, Imperial College London and University of Toronto already. That phase of our lives was glorious.

Fast forward to March 2015, Goodluck lost the elections to Mr. Buhari. That was where things started to take a new turn. Shortly after Mr Buhari was sworn in, he had recalled the list and complained that there was no single northerner on it. He believed it was an agenda of the South. Right before our eyes, meritocracy was shortchanged for Federal character. It was first like a joke, but we all lost that huge scholarship. It was worth about $250,000 per person (tuition and living expenses inclusive across 5 years). Before then I had little faith in the country but when this happened, I became weary of the country.

Thankfully, later that year, I got a full scholarship from University of Toronto for my Masters and PhD (6 years in total). Of those other 14 friends of mine, 13 of them have also moved since then - US, Canada, UK, New Zealand, Japan etc. Obviously we moved on but truth is, the life we have now was afforded to us by the Government of another country, many of which will seduce you with permanent residency and citizenship afterwards.

Any nation that shortchanges merit for anything else will fall. Nigeria has the brightest people, yet, we are where we are (in Osibanjo's voice).
These people will corroborate my story as they were also winners of the PRESSID scholarship

These people will corroborate my story as they were also winners of the PRESSID scholarship: Odoeze Jideofor Okagu Ogadimma Olikagu Sylvia Chisom Hyacinth Ali David Chukwuma Izuogu Samuel Olisa Chima Eke and others.

Sad!
~Chidozie Ojobor

I also know one of the beneficiaries of that PRESSID 2014 that's now studying at SUNY Binghamton. He's also a first class graduate of Mathematics from UI. I will conclude by saying that at the end it is Nigeria loss. The country just keep losing her best brains to more responsible and sensible nations.

.

yungmin:
Some of the evils of quota system

In 2014, I and several other Nigerian University graduates had been shortlisted to write the Presidential Special Scholarship (PRESSID) designed exclusively for First Class Nigerian graduates who wanted to pursue both Masters and PhD in any top 25 Universities in the world. President Goodluck Jonathan had set the scheme up and the idea was to build a strong team of brilliant Nigerians who will come back to serve the country years later.

There were a little above one thousand of us who wrote the exam at CHAMS, Abuja. At the time, I was already lecturing in UNN so most of my friends (who were also my colleagues) enrolled. 16 of us in total. It was a computer-based test so we knew our fate instantly. I had scored 94% in the exam. In fact, 15 of us from UNN scored between 80 and 97%. Man! We came out of the exam hall completely joyous. We were so sure we had got the scholarship. And we were right. Sometime in February 2015, the list of 101 successful candidates was shortlisted in the National Dailies. Fifteen of us were on that list. I had applied to Princeton University, Imperial College London and University of Toronto already. That phase of our lives was glorious.

Fast forward to March 2015, Goodluck lost the elections to Mr. Buhari. That was where things started to take a new turn. Shortly after Mr Buhari was sworn in, he had recalled the list and complained that there was no single northerner on it. He believed it was an agenda of the South. Right before our eyes, meritocracy was shortchanged for Federal character. It was first like a joke, but we all lost that huge scholarship. It was worth about $250,000 per person (tuition and living expenses inclusive across 5 years). Before then I had little faith in the country but when this happened, I became weary of the country.

Thankfully, later that year, I got a full scholarship from University of Toronto for my Masters and PhD (6 years in total). Of those other 14 friends of mine, 13 of them have also moved since then - US, Canada, UK, New Zealand, Japan etc. Obviously we moved on but truth is, the life we have now was afforded to us by the Government of another country, many of which will seduce you with permanent residency and citizenship afterwards.

Any nation that shortchanges merit for anything else will fall. Nigeria has the brightest people, yet, we are where we are (in Osibanjo's voice).
These people will corroborate my story as they were also winners of the PRESSID scholarship

These people will corroborate my story as they were also winners of the PRESSID scholarship: Odoeze Jideofor Okagu Ogadimma Olikagu Sylvia Chisom Hyacinth Ali David Chukwuma Izuogu Samuel Olisa Chima Eke and others.

Sad!
~Chidozie Ojobor

Really a sad one. Similar situation almost played out in NLNG around the same period only that northerners were added to some merit list and many wait listed were dropped. I was affected by the NLNG decision but I really see wisdom with federal character especially if we want to remain a peaceful nation. I believe someday when the issues causing the gap is addressed true merit will take its place.

However, for your case the NLNG method should have been adopted rather than deny people who truly merited the scholarship. Good to know you guys turned out well so did I.

TeddyX:
EH & the remaining GTs will be called same time.
You may not hear from them before March 27th.
Replacement is ongoing for those that rejected the offer. Please someone should confirm this update.

Wow, thanks so much for the info. We keep hope alive then. Thanks once again!

TeddyX:
EH & the remaining GTs will be called same time.
You may not hear from them before March 27th.
Replacement is ongoing for those that rejected the offer. Please someone should confirm this update.

Fingers crossed

yungmin:
Some of the evils of quota system

In 2014, I and several other Nigerian University graduates had been shortlisted to write the Presidential Special Scholarship (PRESSID) designed exclusively for First Class Nigerian graduates who wanted to pursue both Masters and PhD in any top 25 Universities in the world. President Goodluck Jonathan had set the scheme up and the idea was to build a strong team of brilliant Nigerians who will come back to serve the country years later.

There were a little above one thousand of us who wrote the exam at CHAMS, Abuja. At the time, I was already lecturing in UNN so most of my friends (who were also my colleagues) enrolled. 16 of us in total. It was a computer-based test so we knew our fate instantly. I had scored 94% in the exam. In fact, 15 of us from UNN scored between 80 and 97%. Man! We came out of the exam hall completely joyous. We were so sure we had got the scholarship. And we were right. Sometime in February 2015, the list of 101 successful candidates was shortlisted in the National Dailies. Fifteen of us were on that list. I had applied to Princeton University, Imperial College London and University of Toronto already. That phase of our lives was glorious.

Fast forward to March 2015, Goodluck lost the elections to Mr. Buhari. That was where things started to take a new turn. Shortly after Mr Buhari was sworn in, he had recalled the list and complained that there was no single northerner on it. He believed it was an agenda of the South. Right before our eyes, meritocracy was shortchanged for Federal character. It was first like a joke, but we all lost that huge scholarship. It was worth about $250,000 per person (tuition and living expenses inclusive across 5 years). Before then I had little faith in the country but when this happened, I became weary of the country.

Thankfully, later that year, I got a full scholarship from University of Toronto for my Masters and PhD (6 years in total). Of those other 14 friends of mine, 13 of them have also moved since then - US, Canada, UK, New Zealand, Japan etc. Obviously we moved on but truth is, the life we have now was afforded to us by the Government of another country, many of which will seduce you with permanent residency and citizenship afterwards.

Any nation that shortchanges merit for anything else will fall. Nigeria has the brightest people, yet, we are where we are (in Osibanjo's voice).
These people will corroborate my story as they were also winners of the PRESSID scholarship

These people will corroborate my story as they were also winners of the PRESSID scholarship: Odoeze Jideofor Okagu Ogadimma Olikagu Sylvia Chisom Hyacinth Ali David Chukwuma Izuogu Samuel Olisa Chima Eke and others.

Sad!
~Chidozie Ojobor

I am not a northerner but I feel the decision by Buhari is right. So long as the northerners that were chosen are intelligent minds also. Not only the south have intelligent people they also reside in the north too. Every major group should be represented just for the sake of peace. Here you are wanting all southerners to be chosen for the sake of merit. Now if the president had chosen all northerners in the name of merit, what will be the reaction of every southerner? All southerners will be crying about how Buhari wants to northernize the country. Considering the nature of nigeria, the principle of federal character representation is what is still giving us a semblance of sanity and its currently more important than merit so long as all the candidates are of similar IQ. Jonathan that was trying to push all southerners for such scholarship is the one in the wrong as the principle of federal character is even enshrined in our constitution

TeddyX:
EH & the remaining GTs will be called same time.
You may not hear from them before March 27th.
Replacement is ongoing for those that rejected the offer. Please someone should confirm this update.

Remaining GTs?

.

You don't understand merit. It shows in your response. Many Nigerians don't understand what merit really means. They've been going through life cutting corners in everything. The other day, one Northerner wanted to use 'connection' to jump a hospital queue of only three persons. I had to ask him if he couldn't do even the simplest things without gaming the system.

Merit means a test taken by everyone should be the only basis of the scholarship, not the tribe or region of the candidate.

Many people fail to realize that:

1. Easy Oil Money is the reason we can afford to be so stupid for so long. If our economy relied entirely on our productivity as individuals, we'd even be importing competent people from abroad like advanced societies do.

2. If all sectors of our economy were peopled with the most competent of us, we'd lift more people out of poverty. Heck, we'd be so rich that the low fliers now occupying critical positions on account of their tribe would even be on welfare where they'll live out their days to the best of their abilities.

muhamm3d:
I am not a northerner but I feel the decision by Buhari is right. So long as the northerners that were chosen are intelligent minds also. Not only the south have intelligent people they also reside in the north too. Every major group should be represented just for the sake of peace. Here you are wanting all southerners to be chosen for the sake of merit. Now if the president had chosen all northerners in the name of merit, what will be the reaction of every southerner? All southerners will be crying about how Buhari wants to northernize the country. Considering the nature of nigeria, the principle of federal character representation is what is still giving us a semblance of sanity and its currently more important than merit so long as all the candidates are of similar IQ. Jonathan that was trying to push all southerners for such scholarship is the one in the wrong as the principle of federal character is even enshrined in our constitution

yungmin:
Some of the evils of quota system

In 2014, I and several other Nigerian University graduates had been shortlisted to write the Presidential Special Scholarship (PRESSID) designed exclusively for First Class Nigerian graduates who wanted to pursue both Masters and PhD in any top 25 Universities in the world. President Goodluck Jonathan had set the scheme up and the idea was to build a strong team of brilliant Nigerians who will come back to serve the country years later.

There were a little above one thousand of us who wrote the exam at CHAMS, Abuja. At the time, I was already lecturing in UNN so most of my friends (who were also my colleagues) enrolled. 16 of us in total. It was a computer-based test so we knew our fate instantly. I had scored 94% in the exam. In fact, 15 of us from UNN scored between 80 and 97%. Man! We came out of the exam hall completely joyous. We were so sure we had got the scholarship. And we were right. Sometime in February 2015, the list of 101 successful candidates was shortlisted in the National Dailies. Fifteen of us were on that list. I had applied to Princeton University, Imperial College London and University of Toronto already. That phase of our lives was glorious.

Fast forward to March 2015, Goodluck lost the elections to Mr. Buhari. That was where things started to take a new turn. Shortly after Mr Buhari was sworn in, he had recalled the list and complained that there was no single northerner on it. He believed it was an agenda of the South. Right before our eyes, meritocracy was shortchanged for Federal character. It was first like a joke, but we all lost that huge scholarship. It was worth about $250,000 per person (tuition and living expenses inclusive across 5 years). Before then I had little faith in the country but when this happened, I became weary of the country.

Thankfully, later that year, I got a full scholarship from University of Toronto for my Masters and PhD (6 years in total). Of those other 14 friends of mine, 13 of them have also moved since then - US, Canada, UK, New Zealand, Japan etc. Obviously we moved on but truth is, the life we have now was afforded to us by the Government of another country, many of which will seduce you with permanent residency and citizenship afterwards.

Any nation that shortchanges merit for anything else will fall. Nigeria has the brightest people, yet, we are where we are (in Osibanjo's voice).
These people will corroborate my story as they were also winners of the PRESSID scholarship

These people will corroborate my story as they were also winners of the PRESSID scholarship: Odoeze Jideofor Okagu Ogadimma Olikagu Sylvia Chisom Hyacinth Ali David Chukwuma Izuogu Samuel Olisa Chima Eke and others.

Sad!
~Chidozie Ojobor

Wow, ok! So u are almost done with ur program then. I wonder which position u applied for in nnpc with your phd in view. Way back, nnpc will give u GM straight.

I will do as you say sir!!

Ezalb:
Bia!!! you be NNPC staff now..biko book return flight drop it and come back jeje..even if na borrow u borrow the money u will pay back instantly

Got a call around 12.00pm

donb06:
Like you just got yours yesterday?? Like which time??

muhamm3d:
I am not a northerner but I feel the decision by Buhari is right. So long as the northerners that were chosen are intelligent minds also. Not only the south have intelligent people they also reside in the north too. Every major group should be represented just for the sake of peace. Here you are wanting all southerners to be chosen for the sake of merit. Now if the president had chosen all northerners in the name of merit, what will be the reaction of every southerner? All southerners will be crying about how Buhari wants to northernize the country. Considering the nature of nigeria, the principle of federal character representation is what is still giving us a semblance of sanity and its currently more important than merit so long as all the candidates are of similar IQ. Jonathan that was trying to push all southerners for such scholarship is the one in the wrong as the principle of federal character is even enshrined in our constitution

Please there is nothing like southern merit or northern merit. Merit is merit. Gosh!

yungmin:
Some of the evils of quota system

In 2014, I and several other Nigerian University graduates had been shortlisted to write the Presidential Special Scholarship (PRESSID) designed exclusively for First Class Nigerian graduates who wanted to pursue both Masters and PhD in any top 25 Universities in the world. President Goodluck Jonathan had set the scheme up and the idea was to build a strong team of brilliant Nigerians who will come back to serve the country years later.

There were a little above one thousand of us who wrote the exam at CHAMS, Abuja. At the time, I was already lecturing in UNN so most of my friends (who were also my colleagues) enrolled. 16 of us in total. It was a computer-based test so we knew our fate instantly. I had scored 94% in the exam. In fact, 15 of us from UNN scored between 80 and 97%. Man! We came out of the exam hall completely joyous. We were so sure we had got the scholarship. And we were right. Sometime in February 2015, the list of 101 successful candidates was shortlisted in the National Dailies. Fifteen of us were on that list. I had applied to Princeton University, Imperial College London and University of Toronto already. That phase of our lives was glorious.

Fast forward to March 2015, Goodluck lost the elections to Mr. Buhari. That was where things started to take a new turn. Shortly after Mr Buhari was sworn in, he had recalled the list and complained that there was no single northerner on it. He believed it was an agenda of the South. Right before our eyes, meritocracy was shortchanged for Federal character. It was first like a joke, but we all lost that huge scholarship. It was worth about $250,000 per person (tuition and living expenses inclusive across 5 years). Before then I had little faith in the country but when this happened, I became weary of the country.

Thankfully, later that year, I got a full scholarship from University of Toronto for my Masters and PhD (6 years in total). Of those other 14 friends of mine, 13 of them have also moved since then - US, Canada, UK, New Zealand, Japan etc. Obviously we moved on but truth is, the life we have now was afforded to us by the Government of another country, many of which will seduce you with permanent residency and citizenship afterwards.

Any nation that shortchanges merit for anything else will fall. Nigeria has the brightest people, yet, we are where we are (in Osibanjo's voice).
These people will corroborate my story as they were also winners of the PRESSID scholarship

These people will corroborate my story as they were also winners of the PRESSID scholarship: Odoeze Jideofor Okagu Ogadimma Olikagu Sylvia Chisom Hyacinth Ali David Chukwuma Izuogu Samuel Olisa Chima Eke and others.

Sad!
~Chidozie Ojobor

Really sad

Hello everyone,

I've been following this thread since July 2019. Didn't eventually get the APL but I'm very happy to engage the new phase.
Thanks to all the eggheads here. All of you, irrespective of your idiosyncrasies, are amazing. Even without dropping a comment all these while, I've learnt how to respect each person's line of thought and never take anything personal (so many words here were hurting for real )

Anyway, the success story may not come today but will come someday, so we keep hope alive.
A big congratulations to the successful guys.
I wish the EHs too a successful outcome of this effort.

Moving forward: after the release of the APL, many commiserating messages included the need to explore the field of IT and I've decided to embrace one aspect of it.
Among other plans, I wish to learn and become a professional in Data Science.
Please I need direction in this field - free courses to take, materials to download etc.

I will really appreciate anyone who deems it fit to help a brother with the needed guidance.

Thanks and God bless!