From Tony John, Port Harcourt
Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) has distanced itself from claims of one Francis Akpanari, the president of Ijaw Peoples Association (IPA) in Great Britain and Ireland, that the programme is not living up to its financial obligations to some scholarship students.
PAP, in a statement by Special Adviser, Media to the Interim Administrator, Neotaobase Egbe, said it was not owing any of its scholarship student, insisting it was up to date with all payments.
Egbe said it was unfortunate that Akpanari would make a blanket statement without verifying the facts on ground and appealed to the public to ignore him.
He said since the emergence of Milland Dixon Dikio as the interim administrator, there had not been any complaint from students and their schools about school fees and in-training allowances.
Egbe said PAP challenged anyone with contrary opinion to come forward with facts of bonafide amnesty students owed by the amnesty office.
He said: “PAP unequivocally states the school fees and in-training allowances of all bonafide beneficiaries of PAP scholarship scheme are up to March, 2022.
“No student on our scholarship scheme is being owed neither is there any institution that is owed. Those with contrary opinion are challenged to provide the names of the students and schools owed.
“PAP management, under the leadership of Dikio is focused and committed to its beneficiaries.”