Four PAP-sponsored scholars graduate with distinction in UK, 16 earn master’s degrees

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Four beneficiaries of the Presidential Amnesty Programme’s offshore scholarship scheme have graduated with distinction, while 16 scholars successfully earned master’s degrees from universities in the United Kingdom, in what the agency described as further evidence of the programme’s investment in human capital development in the Niger Delta.

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PAP, in a statement signed by the Special Assistant to the PAP Administrator, Igoniko Oduma, disclosed on Monday that the four distinction graduates are Nina Orubebe (Financial Management), Tonbra Tonlagha (International Hospitality and Tourism), Kemien Egbekun (Law), and Simon Douye (Construction Engineering Management).

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The 16 graduates completed postgraduate programmes in disciplines including software engineering, oil and gas, data science and engineering, financial management, law, construction engineering management and global public health.

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According to the programme, the beneficiaries graduated from institutions in the United Kingdom and the United States, including Carnegie Mellon University, Coventry University, Manchester Metropolitan University, the University of Dundee, Anglia Ruskin University, the University of Bedfordshire, Aston University, the University of Cambridge, the University of South Wales and Northumbria University.

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Commenting on the achievement, the Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Dr Dennis Otuaro, congratulated the scholars for successfully completing their studies on schedule, saying their accomplishments would strengthen the pool of skilled professionals needed for the development of the Niger Delta.

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He said the performance of the scholars demonstrated that the Federal Government’s investment in education under the programme was yielding positive results.

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“Our decision to expand the scholarship scheme is anchored on the massive support and strong desire of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to bridge the region’s human capital development gap under the Renewed Hope Agenda”, Otuaro said.

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He added, “This new set of 16 successful overseas postgraduate students sponsored by the PAP has reinforced the Federal Government’s investment in the Niger Delta youths’ education to enhance sustainable peace and socio-economic advancement in the region.”

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The PAP administrator urged the graduates to make productive use of the opportunity provided by the Federal Government by applying the knowledge and skills acquired to contribute to the growth of their communities and the country.

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Otuaro maintained that the programme would continue to prioritise education despite criticisms from what he described as detractors opposed to the expansion of the scholarship initiative.

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“We will not succumb to the frivolous activities of mischief makers and detractors because many of them are not happy that we have increased educational scholarship chances for poor Niger Deltans based on the mandate of the President,” he said.

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He further stated, “We will continue to deliver on President Tinubu’s mandate for the Niger Delta. No amount of blackmail and campaigns of calumny will deter us because the President and the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, are delighted at what we are doing.”

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Otuaro also expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu and the National Security Adviser for their continued support, saying their backing was helping to lay a stronger foundation for peace, stability and shared prosperity in the Niger Delta.

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The PAP said it has produced 111 master’s and doctoral degree holders since Otuaro assumed office in March 2024, comprising 57 graduates from foreign universities and 54 from Nigerian institutions.

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It added that the administration has so far awarded about 9,000 undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships in Nigerian tertiary institutions and 247 scholarships for higher-degree studies in overseas universities.

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The Presidential Amnesty Programme was established in 2009 following the Federal Government’s amnesty initiative for repentant Niger Delta militants. Beyond disarmament and reintegration, the programme has increasingly focused on education, vocational training and skills acquisition as part of efforts to address youth unemployment and promote lasting peace in the oil-producing region.

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Since assuming office in March 2024, Otuaro has expanded the programme’s scholarship component, arguing that sustained investment in education and human capital development is critical to reducing restiveness, creating economic opportunities and supporting the Federal Government’s broader Renewed Hope Agenda for the Niger Delta.

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