PAP distributes laptops to 64 final year, postgraduate students

The Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) has commenced the distribution of laptops to final year and postgraduate students under its scholarship scheme in partnering universities across Nigeria.

64 PAP scholarship beneficiaries, made up of 25 students from Nile University and 39 from Baze University, were presented with their laptops in the first phase of the distribution in Abuja on Friday and Monday, April 7, 2025.

The beneficiaries include 60 final year students, one PhD student, and three master’s degree students.

Speaking at the presentation ceremonies at Nile and Baze universities, the PAP Administrator, Dr Dennis Otuaro, said the gesture was in fulfillment of his promise to the scholarship beneficiaries during his tour of partnering institutions in 2024.

Otuaro said the PAP recognised the usefulness of the mobile computing device to the students’ academic success, especially as they prepare to write their final year projects, theses, and dissertations.

Otuaro, who was represented respectively at the events by the PAP’s acting head of administration, Ebikpolade Zorab, and the secretary to the PAP boss, Ebimene Jackson, urged the students to make good use of the laptops and justify the objective behind the gesture.

He said: “You are the first set of PAP scholarship students that are receiving these laptops, and we will also extend this (distribution) to other beneficiaries in other institutions that we are partnering with.

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“I advise and encourage you to make good use of it for your academic progress. With these laptops, if you were to make a low grade in your project, we expect that you will score excellent grades because you now have portable computers to enhance your academic endeavours.”

Otuaro also reiterated his leadership’s commitment to closing the human capital development gap in the Niger Delta, while working to ensure sustainable peace, security, stability, and development in the region.

He further expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for his support for the PAP and also backing the educational, vocational, and other initiatives of the programme to achieve its mandate for the Niger Delta under the ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’.

Also speaking, the PAP Head of Education, Dr Charles Ariye, stated that scholarship beneficiaries had not received laptops in the past six years, adding that the office is interested in enhancing the digital literacy of its students.

The Registrar of Nile University, David Olowola, and his Baze University counterpart, Prof. Abiodun Adeniyi, commended the PAP boss for deeming it necessary to provide laptops to the scholarship students to facilitate their academics.

Some of the beneficiaries, including the leaders of PAP scholarship students in the two universities, Eperetun Gboroteiye (Nile) and Pedro Timotubo (Baze), as well as Oyinlayefa Ogiriki, Mina Ikiba, Friday Dunu, and Martha Tuwabere, thanked Otuaro for the laptops, saying it would help them a great deal in their programmes.

The Star