Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday ordered the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, to immediately pay its scholarship beneficiaries studying abroad.

The students had earlier staged a protest at the Nigeria High Commission office in London to express their grievances.

A statement issued by NDDC Director, Corporate Affairs, Charles Odili, on Tuesday, said Buhari conveyed the directive to the Minister of Niger Delta.

The statement said under the Commission’s finance protocol, only the Executive Director (Finance) and the Executive Director (Projects) could sign for the release of funds from the Commission’s domiciliary accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.

“Under the Commission’s finance protocol, only the Executive Director (Finance) and the Executive Director (Projects) can sign for the release of funds from the Commission’s domiciliary accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN,” the NDDC said.

“With the death of Chief Etang, the remittance has to await the appointment of a new EDFA. Senator Akpabio, the Honourable Minister, said President Buhari who has been briefed on the protest by students at the Nigerian High Commission in London, has ordered that all stops be pulled to pay the students by the end of this week.

“We expect a new EDFA to be appointed this week. As soon as that is done, they would all be paid.”