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From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
The Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) has sent 142 qualified beneficiaries on foreign educational scholarship carefully designed to deepen, enhance, and broaden the human capacity needs of the Niger Delta Region in furtherance of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
The PAP Administrator, Chief Dennis Brutu Otuaro, disclosed that beneficiaries of the all-expenses-paid scholarship programme in the United Kingdom were not only qualified but also carefully selected from a rigorous process for quality contributions to industry demands relevant to the accelerated development of the region and country.
Otuaro, who spoke at the orientation ceremony held for the departing beneficiaries, stated that they would add value to the country when they returned.
“What we are doing today is a deliberate effort to take Mr. President’s Renewed Hope Agenda to our people. Last year, when we came on board, the mandate was to take this Programme to the people at the grassroots and to the people in the communities.
“If you put the number of beneficiaries today together, about 142, all of them are going for postgraduate studies. We know that when they go and come back, they will add serious value to our communities, nation, and human capacity in the region.
“We also have other aspects of the Programme. But this educational aspect is in professional courses. It is not an all-comers’ affair. In the areas where we know we can do postgraduate programmes in Nigeria, we are doing them within our country. In terms of the selection process, it is based on qualification and industry demand for the development of the Niger Delta and Nigeria,” he said.
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The Head of the Nigerian Military Police and former Military Attaché to the Nigerian High Commission in Ghana, The Provost Marshal Of The Nigerian Army, Maj-Gen. M. O. Erebulu, in his presentation at the orientation titled: Diplomatic Security Implications, admonished the students to be of good conduct.
“What we are doing today reminds us of the history of this Programme. For the first time, we are having a huge number of students like these going out of the country. PAP has impacted the lives of the people of the Niger Delta.
“You’re carrying the flag of the country. So, you’re an ambassador of this country. When you’re caught with drugs, the first reaction is that you’re a Nigerian. Abstain from drugs. Don’t wait until your passport expires before renewal. Anything about your visa, do it on time,” Erebulu stated.
Also speaking on Cultural and Social Dynamics of Studying in the UK and Europe, the Technical Assistant to the PAP Administrator, Mr. Edgar Bio, urged the students to work hard for academic excellence.
Other speakers included PAP Head of Education, Dr. Charles Ariye, who spoke on the Academic Dynamics of Studying in the UK, and PAP Assistant Head of Education, Mr. Anthony Okon, who spoke on PAP’s Responsibilities to Beneficiaries.
