Otuaro says PAP scholarship beneficiaries have surpassed 9,000
Dennis Otuaro says more than 9,000 Niger Delta youths have received PAP scholarships as another postgraduate group heads to the UK.
More than 9,000 young people from the Niger Delta have benefited from scholarship programmes under the Presidential Amnesty Programme, according to the programme's Administrator, Dr Dennis Otuaro. He said the figure reflects the Federal Government's efforts to expand educational opportunities and address human capital development needs in the region.
Otuaro gave the update while speaking to a group of 35 postgraduate scholarship beneficiaries who left Nigeria on Monday for universities in England and Scotland. He told the scholars that their studies should serve both their personal development and the wider interests of the Niger Delta and Nigeria. He also urged them to focus on their academic programmes and avoid conduct that could threaten their studies or damage Nigeria's image abroad.
The 35 beneficiaries form part of a group of 150 offshore postgraduate scholars who took part in a pre-departure orientation organised by the Presidential Amnesty Programme in August. Two earlier groups of 54 and 31 scholars had already travelled to the United Kingdom. According to the programme, the number of beneficiaries sent overseas so far this year has reached 243.
The scholars are enrolled in postgraduate courses spanning several specialised fields. These include forensic audit, construction engineering management, data science analytics, law, software engineering, oil and gas engineering, cybersecurity, global public health and fintech analytics. Otuaro said the education component of the Amnesty Programme remains an important part of efforts to equip Niger Delta youths with skills that can support development and long-term stability in the region.
He attributed the expansion of scholarship opportunities to President Bola Tinubu's support for the programme and also acknowledged the role of National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu in supervising its activities. Otuaro further thanked stakeholders connected with the Amnesty Programme for their contributions to peace and security in the Niger Delta.
The Presidential Amnesty Programme was established as part of the Federal Government's response to militancy in the Niger Delta and has used education, skills training and other empowerment initiatives in its reintegration and human capital development efforts. Otuaro said beneficiaries are expected to return with knowledge and skills that can contribute to community development, sustainable peace and broader national progress.