The Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Dr Dennis Brutu Otuaro, has urged the people of the Niger Delta to reciprocate the developmental efforts of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by voting massively for him in the 2027 general elections.
Otuaro spoke in Abuja as the PAP dispatched a fresh batch of 150 postgraduate scholarship beneficiaries to various universities in the United Kingdom.
The latest deployment brings to 243 the number of beneficiaries the programme has sent for offshore postgraduate studies this year, following the deployment of 93 beneficiaries in January and May.
The PAP administrator said the latest beneficiaries were among the most outstanding youths from the Niger Delta and would pursue programmes including cybersecurity, software engineering, data science, law, forensic audit, fintech analytics, construction engineering management, global public health and oil and gas engineering.
Speaking at the pre-departure orientation for the beneficiaries at the PAP headquarters, Otuaro described the scholarship scheme as an investment in the future of the Niger Delta and Nigeria.
He said the initiative was also designed to sustain peace and stability in the region, bridge its human capital development gap and build a strong pool of skilled professionals.
Otuaro said the support of President Tinubu had enabled the programme to expand its human capital development interventions.
He urged the beneficiaries to reciprocate the opportunity by excelling in their studies and returning home to contribute to the development of their communities.
The PAP boss also called on the people of the Niger Delta to support Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
“I must say that as a people, we should make sure we vote massively to ensure his victory in the 2027 general elections. This is the best way to show gratitude to a President who has taken these deliberate steps to help our people and the region,” he said.
Otuaro disclosed that the PAP currently has about 8,700 beneficiaries enrolled in universities within Nigeria, while 270 beneficiaries had been deployed to offshore universities.
He said the offshore beneficiaries comprised 11 undergraduates, 238 master’s students and 21 PhD students.
According to him, 57 of those deployed offshore have graduated, many with distinctions, while 248 are currently in training. He added that the programme had also recorded 54 master’s and doctoral graduates from onshore universities.
He further disclosed that in the 2024/2025 academic year, PAP recorded over 50 first-class graduates and more than 134 second-class upper graduates.
“These are our investments for a greater and better tomorrow because they will help our communities and our region tomorrow,” Otuaro said.
He expressed appreciation to President Tinubu for his support for the programme and the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, for his supervision and contributions to the implementation of the programme.
The PAP administrator urged the beneficiaries to be good ambassadors of Nigeria and the Niger Delta, obey the laws of their host countries and comply with the rules of their respective institutions.
Two of the beneficiaries, Opukeme Gideon, who will study MSc Cyber Security at the University of Aberdeen, and Afiyagba Peredisabofa, who will study MSc Oil and Gas at Coventry University, thanked President Tinubu and Otuaro for the scholarship opportunity.
They pledged to study hard and return with the knowledge required to contribute to national development.
In separate goodwill messages, the Chairman of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Dr Boladei Igali; Prof. Ben Binebai of the Niger Delta University; Niger Delta activist, AnnKio Briggs; Senior Policy Adviser to the Delta State Governor, Hon. Funkekeme Solomon; and President of the Ijaw Youth Council, Dr Doubra Okotete, commended the Federal Government for sustaining the scholarship programme.
