PAP sends 140 beneficiaries to UK universities for postgraduate studies

The Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) has deployed more than 140 beneficiaries of its foreign postgraduate scholarship scheme to universities across the United Kingdom, marking one of its largest overseas deployments in recent years.

At a pre-departure orientation held at the PAP headquarters in Abuja on Thursday, the Administrator, Dr. Dennis Otuaro, said the initiative was designed to strengthen human capital development in the Niger Delta and align with the Federal Government’s development agenda for the region.

“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.”

He explained that the programme selected “industry-competitive and professional disciplines” to ensure beneficiaries acquire knowledge relevant to the needs of both the region and Nigeria. 

While PAP continues to run local education and vocational training schemes, Otuaro noted that the foreign scholarship component is aimed at producing professionals with global expertise.

The PAP boss said the deployment reflected President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and his directive that the amnesty programme be taken directly to Niger Delta communities. 

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 added.

Beneficiaries received brand new laptops during the ceremony to aid their studies and research. They were also briefed on expectations, cultural adjustment, and security considerations while abroad. 

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, delivered lectures on social, diplomatic, and academic issues related to studying in the UK.

Otuaro advised the beneficiaries to remain focused on their studies and avoid distractions. “Shun distractions and take your studies seriously in order to justify the Federal Government’s investment in your education, and be good ambassadors of your families, communities, the Niger Delta and the country,” he said.

Some of the beneficiaries, including Gift Gbaminido and Amadimati Greatman, expressed appreciation to the PAP leadership for the opportunity to study abroad and pledged to use the knowledge gained to contribute to the development of their region and Nigeria.

PAP, established in 2009 to address militancy in the Niger Delta through disarmament, demobilisation, and reintegration, has over time shifted its focus to education, skills training, and empowerment projects as part of its broader peacebuilding and development goals.