Dan-Abia, who represents Eket Federal Constituency, expressed shock that Akwa Ibom, the largest oil-producing state in the country, got only three slots, while a state like Ondo was awarded 43 slots.
The Peoples Democratic Party lawmaker blamed the "skewed" distribution of the slots on the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, Mr. Kingsley Kuku, who is from Ondo State.
The OSAPND had released the names of 254 beneficiaries on Friday last week.
Bayelsa State led the list with 101 slots; Delta State, 55; Rivers 28; while Imo and Edo got 10 slots each.
The scholarship is awarded to brilliant students in the oil-producing states to pursue university education.
Such students are required to score at least 180 points at the University matriculation examination conducted by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board to qualify for the scholarship.
But, Dan-Abia expressed disbelief that Akwa Ibom could not produce more than three students, who scored 180 points or above in the last JAMB used for the selection of the beneficiaries.
He stated, "I wait to be educated on why Akwa Ibom state, the largest contributor to the nation's oil wealth was so treated. Is the office of Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta telling Nigerians that only three persons from Akwa Ibom state scored 180 and above in the last JAMB examination? Is it that not a single girl of Akwa Ibom origin scored as much as 180 in the examination?
"Take a look at the advertised list of beneficiaries and you will see that some beneficiaries picked from other states scored as low as the minimum 180 marks in the JAMB examination while the least of the three selected from Akwa Ibom scored 211 marks.
"I wait to hear from those saddled with the selection process to tell the whole world if there are no other candidates from Akwa ibom who also scored 180 marks in the examination.
"Even though, the handlers of the scheme want the nation to believe that the programme is meant strictly for students who sat for JAMB and passed the examination, I also notice that a student from Edo state who obtained Direct Entry form was allotted a slot on the scheme while two others from Ondo State were also given the privilege.
"I seek concrete explanations on behalf of my people, why Akwa Ibom state should be so brazenly cheated in a scheme of which the source of funding is mainly from the soil of the state.
"What is the volume of Ondo State's contribution to oil wealth that the state should be given preference far and above Akwa Ibom State in the scholarship scheme?
"If what has just happened is not a manifestation of nepotism, then I seek a new interpretation of what nepotism is."
Dan-Abia called on OSAPND to explain to Nigerians publicly how it arrived at its final list of the beneficiaries and the medium through which they were invited to participate in the scheme.
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