16 PAP Offshore Scholarship Students Bag Master’s Degrees, Four Earn Distinction

..Otuaro attributes academic success to President Tinubu’s backing

Sixteen offshore post-graduate scholarship students of the Presidential Amnesty Programme have graduated with master’s degrees from their various universities, with four earning distinction.

The graduates majored in programmes such as software engineering, oil & gas, data science & engineering, financial management, law, construction engineering management, global public health, among others.

The four with distinction include, Nina Orubebe (financial management) Tonbra Tonlagha (international hospitality and tourism), Kemien Egbekun (law) and Simon Douye (construction engineering management).

Already, the successful scholars have participated in the graduation ceremonies of their various institutions in the United States of America and the United Kingdom, including Carnegie Mellon University, Coventry University, Manchester Metropolitan University, University of Dundee, Anglia Ruskin University, University of Bedfordshire, Aston University, University of Cambridge, University of South Wales and Northumbria University, among others.

The PAP, under the leadership of the Administrator, Dr Dennis Brutu Otuaro, has produced 111 master’s and doctoral degree holders- 57 from universities outside Nigeria and 54 from institutions within the country- since he assumed office in March 2024.

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In a statement issued by Mr Igoniko Oduma, Special Assistant on Media to the Administrator, Presidential Amnesty Programme, Dr Otuaro while commenting on the development, commended the successful scholars for taking their studies seriously and completing their programmes within schedule, noting that they have added to the human resource base the PAP is building for the Niger Delta.

Dr Otuaro expressed gladness that PAP scholarship students deployed within and outside Nigeria have been justifying the Federal Government’s investment in their education.

He reiterated that his large-scale deployments of scholarships align with President Bola Tinubu’s plan to close the region’s human capital development gap through his Renewed Hope Agenda.

Dr Otuaro said he is not distracted by the frivolous smear campaigns orchestrated by his detractors and blackmailers, who are not happy over the expansion of the scholarship scheme for greater access to tertiary education for Niger Deltans.

He said he is rather encouraged by the magnanimity and backing of President Tinubu who approved an upward review of the agency’s budget, emphasizing that the presidential gesture came with a mandate to increase scholarships to secure the region’s peace and future generations.

The PAP boss said, “Our decision to expand the scholarship scheme is anchored on the massive support and strong desire of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to bridge the region’s human capital development gap under the Renewed Hope Agenda.

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“We will not succumb to the frivolous activities of mischief makers and detractors because many of them are not happy that we have increased educational scholarship chances for poor Niger Deltans based on the mandate of the President.

“This new set of 16 successful overseas post-graduate students sponsored by the PAP has reinforced the Federal Government’s investment in the Niger Delta youths’ education to enhance sustainable peace and socio-economic advancement in the region.

“We will continue to deliver on President Tinubu’s mandate for the Niger Delta. No amount of blackmail and campaigns of calumny will deter us because the president and the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, are delighted at what we are doing.”

He expressed appreciation to President Tinubu and the NSA, noting that they are laying a solid foundation for the peace, stability, and shared prosperity of the region.

Dr Otuaro has deployed about 9,000 scholarships for undergraduate and post-graduate programmes in Nigerian universities, and 247 for higher degrees in offshore universities.

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