Tinubu lauds PAP’s scholarship, peacebuilding efforts

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has expressed satisfaction with the performance of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), particularly its expanded scholarship scheme, inclusive stakeholder engagement and peacebuilding initiatives in the Niger Delta, the Administrator of the Programme, Dr Dennis Otuaro, has said.

Otuaro disclosed this on Monday in Abuja at the flag-off of the fourth batch of a two-day Leadership, Alternative Dispute Resolution and Mediation Training for PAP Stakeholders, organised by the PAP in collaboration with the Alumni Association of the National Defence College (AANDEC) at the Nigerian Army Resource Centre.

According to him, the President is pleased with the achievements recorded by the agency in about one year and nine months, noting that Tinubu remains strongly committed to ensuring sustainable peace, stability and development in the Niger Delta region.

He said the leadership training was a critical component of the PAP’s peacebuilding process, aimed at strengthening collaboration with stakeholders, whom he described as partners and ambassadors of peace in the region.

Otuaro revealed that under the 2025–2026 academic session, the PAP had deployed 4,500 beneficiaries on scholarship to universities across Nigeria, describing the initiative as an investment in the future leadership of the Niger Delta.

“This administration has redirected the Programme towards the people and the next generation. By sending 4,500 students to universities within Nigeria, we are deliberately investing in the future of the region,” he said.

The PAP Administrator also commended the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, for his strategic support in strengthening the Programme’s initiatives to achieve lasting peace and development in the Niger Delta.

He urged stakeholders to sustain their support for peace at the community level and resist manipulation by what he described as political merchants, stressing that unity in the region would encourage the Federal Government to do more for its development.

Otuaro further dismissed what he termed smear campaigns by anti–Niger Delta elements opposed to the Programme’s people-centred approach, insisting that no group would be allowed to hold the region to ransom.

He called on stakeholders to actively participate in the training and apply the knowledge gained to promote peace and development in their respective communities.

The PAP boss also expressed appreciation to the management of the Nigerian Army Resource Centre, resource persons, and the President of AANDEC, Rear Admiral Ndidi Agholor (retd.), for their partnership in deepening the peace process in the Niger Delta.