Presidential Amnesty Programme Deploys Over 140 Beneficiaries for Post-Graduate Studies in the UK
The Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) has deployed more than 140 beneficiaries to various universities across the United Kingdom for post-graduate studies under its foreign scholarship scheme. The deployment was formally announced during a pre-departure orientation ceremony held at the PAP headquarters in Abuja on Thursday.
Speaking at the event, the Administrator of PAP, Dr. Dennis Otuaro, described the initiative as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen human capital development in the Niger Delta and across Nigeria, while also aligning with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for the region. He explained that the students were carefully placed in competitive and professional courses designed to contribute to socio-economic growth.
“If you put the number of beneficiaries we are deploying today together, over 140, all of them are going for post-graduate studies in universities in the United Kingdom,” Otuaro said. “We are confident that when they complete their studies and return, they will add value to the socio-economic advancement of the Niger Delta, and the human capacity resource of the region will be enriched. They will add value to our communities, the region, and the nation.”
At the orientation, brand new laptops were distributed to the scholarship recipients to aid their research and academic work abroad. Otuaro emphasized that the intervention was a deliberate step to close the human capital development gap in the Niger Delta, stressing that the students were not just scholarship beneficiaries but future contributors to Nigeria’s development.
“What we are doing today is a deliberate effort to take the development agenda of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, to the people in the communities of the Niger Delta,” he said. “When the President appointed me last year, he gave me a mandate and that is to take this programme to the people. That is what we are doing.”
He advised the departing students to remain focused on their academic goals and to resist distractions while abroad. He added that the scholarship scheme was structured to prioritize professional fields that are industry-competitive and relevant to Nigeria’s development needs, while also noting that the programme runs several in-country educational initiatives.
Other officials present at the briefing delivered talks to prepare the beneficiaries for life and studies in the UK. The Technical Assistant to the PAP Administrator, Edgar Daniel; the Provost Marshal of the Nigerian Army, Maj. Gen. M.O. Erebulu and the Head of PAP’s Education Department, Dr. Charles Ariye, spoke on issues ranging from the social and cultural challenges of studying in Europe, to diplomatic and security considerations, and the academic rigours of UK institutions.
Some of the scholarship recipients expressed gratitude to the PAP for the opportunity. Gift Gbaminido and Amadimati Greatman promised to make good use of the training and to serve as worthy ambassadors of their families, communities, and the Niger Delta while abroad.
