Otuaro Lauded As Amnesty Programme Scholarships Hit 8,205

Some Niger Delta ex-agitators have reviewed the activities of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) and expressed satisfaction with the direction of the scheme under its administrator, Dr Dennis Otuaro.

They said the renewed focus on education and skills development is repositioning the region for long-term stability.

The ex-agitators, under the Board of Trustees of the Critical Stakeholders’ Forum of Ex-Agitators, said PAP has sponsored 8,205 students at both Nigerian and foreign institutions since Otuaro assumed office, describing the number as unprecedented in the programme’s history.

The group’s national spokesperson and secretary, Nature Dumale Kiegha, said the new direction of PAP has shifted attention from stipends to real empowerment through education and employment.

He said, “Under the leadership of the administrator, Dr Dennis Otuaro, the programme now centres its strategic priorities on the promotion of regional stability through interconnected pillars, education, stakeholders’ engagements, vocational excellence and direct employment pathways.”

Dumale explained that the scholarship expansion has created a large pool of educated and employable young people in the Niger Delta, which he said would support peace and development in the region.

He added, “This expansion represents the single largest educational deployment in the history of the Presidential Amnesty Programme and underscores the administration’s commitment to knowledge-driven reintegration.”

According to him, the 8,205 new students represent an increase of over 400 per cent compared to previous scholarship intakes, showing a strong commitment to mass access to education.

Dumale noted that the programme has also introduced a merit-based system, rewarding excellence among beneficiaries.

He said, “This initiative has both a reward mechanism reinforcing the programmes and expectations of high performance and encouraging a competitive result-driven ethos amongst beneficiaries.”

He also revealed that over 3,400 laptops have been distributed to students to bridge the digital gap in the region and support their academic work.

Speaking on employment, Dumale said PAP has adopted a training-to-employment model, placing beneficiaries in aviation and other sectors.

He said: “These beneficiaries have been successfully integrated into leading airlines, aviation service providers, including Air Peace, United Nigeria Airline, Bristol Helicopter, Green Africa Airlines and OAS Helicopters. Notable placement include qualified air traffic controllers deployed to Abuja and Benin Airports as well as certified UAV drone specialists.

“We are also calling on well-meaning Niger Deltans, stakeholders, traditional rulers, youth leaders to give Dr Dennis Otuaro all the support and encouragement he needs to continue to invest in the future of our youths as education empowerment cannot be over emphasised. We pass a vote of confidence in them and appeal to them to keep empowering the youths in the Niger Delta.”