Otuaro urges PAP foreign scholarship beneficiaries to make Tinubu proud

The Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Dr Dennis Otuaro, has charged beneficiaries of the programme’s foreign post-graduate scholarship scheme to excel in their studies and justify the confidence reposed in them by President Bola Tinubu and the Federal Government.

Otuaro gave the charge on Thursday in Abuja during a pre-departure briefing for a new batch of 12 PAP foreign post-graduate scholarship beneficiaries heading to universities in the United Kingdom.

The orientation programme featured sessions on social and cultural relations in the UK, academic expectations, scholarship administration, as well as the presentation of laptops to each beneficiary to support their research and thesis work.

Addressing the scholars, Otuaro warned against complacency, stressing that they must not disappoint the President, the Federal Government, the Niger Delta region or the Presidential Amnesty Programme.

“Today, we are sending you outside the country for post-graduate programmes in the United Kingdom, and we believe we are sending out our best. There should be no room for laxity. Put in your best and make the best for yourselves,” he said.

He disclosed that President Tinubu and the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), under Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, were pleased with the number of beneficiaries so far sponsored overseas by the PAP, despite earlier speculation that the programme’s foreign scholarship component might be discontinued.

According to Otuaro, the President and the NSA remain strongly committed to human capital development and socio-economic growth in the Niger Delta, and have continued to support PAP initiatives.

He noted that the beneficiaries were carefully selected and enrolled in industry-relevant programmes designed to equip them with skills that would be useful to the region and the country upon their return.

“You are ambassadors of the President. When you do well, it will encourage others and further strengthen the confidence of the President and the NSA in this programme,” Otuaro added.

He also assured the scholars that those who perform exceptionally well in their master’s programmes could be considered for further academic support, including PhD studies.

The PAP administrator reaffirmed his commitment to building critical manpower for the Niger Delta and to ensuring transparency and fairness in the implementation of the programme.

Some of the beneficiaries, including Arafiena Shekinah Nkem of the University of Liverpool and Omokaro Rick Efosa of Coventry University, expressed appreciation to President Tinubu, the National Security Adviser and the PAP leadership for the opportunity, pledging to remain focused and excel in their studies.