Otuaro Urges Niger Delta to Vote Massively for Tinubu as PAP Dispatches 150 Scholarship Beneficiaries to UK Varsities
• Hails Tinubu for Sustaining Peace in Niger Delta
By Joy Omagha Idam
The Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Dr. Dennis Brutu Otuaro, has urged the people of the Niger Delta to reciprocate the developmental efforts of President Bola Tinubu by voting massively for him in the 2027 general elections.
Otuaro spoke as the PAP dispatched a fresh batch of 150 postgraduate scholarship beneficiaries to various universities in the United Kingdom.
The latest deployment brings to 243 the total number of offshore scholarship beneficiaries dispatched by the PAP under Otuaro’s leadership this year, with 93 beneficiaries deployed in January and May.
Before the latest deployment, about 270 beneficiaries had already been sent to study various programmes in UK universities, including cybersecurity, software engineering, data science and analytics, law, forensic audit, fintech analytics, construction engineering management, global public health and oil and gas engineering, among others.
Speaking at the pre-departure orientation for the 150 beneficiaries held at the PAP headquarters in Abuja on Thursday, Otuaro described the scholarship programme as an investment in the future of the Niger Delta and Nigeria.
“We are again to send some of the most brilliant and vibrant youths of the Niger Delta for postgraduate studies in select disciplines in the UK.”
He attributed the initiative to the commitment of President Tinubu to peace, security and development in the Niger Delta.
“We are able to do this because our father and leader, Mr. President, is committed to the peace, security and development of the Niger Delta.”
Otuaro urged the people of the region to support President Tinubu in the 2027 elections, describing it as a way of appreciating the President’s interventions in the region.
“I must say that as a people, we should make sure we vote massively to ensure his victory in the 2027 general elections. This is the best way to show gratitude to a President who has taken these deliberate steps to help our people and the region.”
Giving an update on the scholarship programme, the PAP Administrator said:
“This year, in January and May, we had sent 93 beneficiaries for offshore postgraduate programmes. Now, we have 150 that we are sending abroad, and about 56 made first class while about 140 made second-class upper division. We already have 270 in UK universities before these recent deployments.”
He said the initiative was part of the PAP’s commitment to expanding access to higher education for young people from the Niger Delta.
“This exercise underscores our commitment to ensuring that the Niger Delta youths have greater access to higher education within and outside Nigeria as we build a solid foundation for the region’s future.”
According to Otuaro, the large-scale scholarship deployments were made possible by President Tinubu’s support for the PAP under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
“As of today, we have 8,700 in-country. That is what President Tinubu has done for the Niger Delta. By the grace of God, we are going to increase the number this year.”
He further disclosed that the PAP had deployed 270 beneficiaries to offshore universities, comprising 11 undergraduates, 238 master’s degree students and 21 PhD candidates.
“While 57 have graduated, many with distinction, 248 are in training. From onshore universities, we have recorded 54 master’s and doctoral graduates. In the 2024/2025 academic year, we recorded over 50 first class and over 134 second-class upper division.”
Otuaro described the scholarship investment as a strategic intervention that would benefit future generations.
“That is our investment for a greater and better tomorrow because it will help our communities and our region tomorrow.”
He expressed appreciation to President Tinubu for his support for the programme and also commended the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, for his supervision, insights and professional contributions to the PAP.
The PAP boss urged the beneficiaries to take their studies seriously and return home after their programmes to contribute to the development of their communities and the nation.
“You are expected to come back home after your programmes and add value to your communities and nation-building in the spirit of patriotism.”
He also advised the beneficiaries to respect the laws of their host country as well as the rules and regulations of their respective institutions.
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Opukeme Gideon, an MSc Cyber Security student of the University of Aberdeen, and Afiyagba Peredisabofa, an MSc Oil and Gas student of Coventry University, thanked President Tinubu and Otuaro for the opportunity.
They pledged to study diligently and make Nigeria and the Niger Delta proud.
In separate goodwill messages, the Chairman of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Dr. Boladei Igali; Prof. Ben Binebai of the Niger Delta University, Bayelsa State; Niger Delta activist, AnnKio Briggs; Senior Policy Adviser to the Delta State Governor, Hon. Funkekeme Solomon; and the President of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Dr. Doubra Okotete, expressed appreciation to President Tinubu for sustaining the programme and investing in the region’s youths.
They commended Otuaro’s vision and the expansion of the scholarship scheme, describing it as:
“A legacy that will impact several generations.”
The stakeholders also praised the PAP Administrator for his attention to gender balance in the selection process, noting that the female-to-male ratio among the beneficiaries was encouraging.
The beneficiaries were also sensitised on key areas including Social and Cultural Dynamics, Academic and School Expectations of Your Trip, Security Dynamics of Schooling Abroad, and Obligations of the PAP Office to Beneficiaries/Economic Prudence.
Other Niger Delta stakeholders present at the event included the PANDEF Secretary, Engr. Bekinbo Dagogo-Jack; the PANDEF Treasurer, Hon. Mrs. Ifeoma Agbomah; Ibiba DonPedro the Publisher Candour Magazine/ National Point Newspaper and members of the Ijaw Women Connect (IWC), led by its President, Mrs. Rosemary Oduone.
This was contained in a statement signed by Mr. Igoniko Oduma, Special Assistant on Media to the Administrator Presidential Amnesty Programme
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