Otuaro Urges Niger Delta Voters to Back Tinubu as PAP Sends 150 Scholars to UK
BY SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
Dr Dennis Brutu Otuaro, Administrator, Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), has urged Niger Delta people to support President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general elections.
Otuaro said the call was in appreciation of Tinubu’s commitment to peace, security and human capital development in the Niger Delta.
He spoke on Thursday in Abuja at the pre-departure orientation for 150 PAP post-graduate scholarship beneficiaries proceeding to universities in the United Kingdom.
The latest deployment brings to 243 the number of PAP beneficiaries sent for offshore post-graduate programmes in 2026.
According to Otuaro, 93 beneficiaries were earlier deployed in January and May, while about 270 others were already studying in UK universities.
He said the beneficiaries were pursuing programmes including cybersecurity, software engineering, data science, law, forensic auditing, fintech, construction engineering and oil and gas engineering.
Otuaro described the scholarship scheme as an investment in the future of the Niger Delta and Nigeria.
He said the programme was designed to sustain peace and stability while addressing human capital development gaps in the region.
“We are again sending some of the most brilliant and vibrant youths of the Niger Delta for post-graduate studies in select disciplines in the UK.
“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.
“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 deliberate steps to help our people and the region,” he said.
The PAP administrator said 56 of the latest beneficiaries graduated with first-class degrees, while about 140 obtained second-class upper division.
He said PAP currently had about 8,700 beneficiaries undergoing training in Nigerian institutions.
Otuaro said the programme had also deployed 270 beneficiaries to offshore universities, comprising 11 undergraduates, 238 master’s students and 21 PhD candidates.
He added that 57 beneficiaries had graduated, many with distinctions, while 248 remained 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 graduates and over 134 second-class upper division graduates,” he said.
Otuaro attributed the expansion of the scholarship programme to Tinubu’s support for PAP under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
He expressed appreciation to Tinubu and the National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, for their support and guidance.
The PAP boss urged the beneficiaries to take their studies seriously and become good ambassadors of Nigeria and the Niger Delta.
He advised them to return home after their studies and contribute to the development of their communities and the country.
Otuaro also urged them to obey the laws of the UK and regulations of their respective institutions.
Two beneficiaries, Opukeme Gideon, studying MSc Cyber Security at the University of Aberdeen, and Afiyagba Peredisabofa, studying MSc Oil and Gas at Coventry University, thanked Tinubu and Otuaro.
They pledged to work hard and justify the confidence reposed in them through the scholarship programme.
In separate goodwill messages, Chairman of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Dr Boladei Igali; Prof Ben Binebai of Niger Delta University, and Niger Delta activist Ann-Kio Briggs commended the initiative.
Others were Hon Funkekeme Solomon, Senior Policy Adviser to the Delta State Governor, and Dr Doubra Okotete, President of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC).
They thanked Tinubu for sustaining the programme and investing in the education and future of Niger Delta youths.
The stakeholders also commended Otuaro for expanding the scholarship scheme, describing it as a legacy capable of benefiting generations.
They praised the programme’s attention to gender balance in the selection of beneficiaries.
The beneficiaries received orientation on social and cultural dynamics, academic expectations, security considerations and financial prudence while studying abroad.
The event was also attended by PANDEF Secretary, Engr Bekinbo Dagogo-Jack; Treasurer, Hon Ifeoma Agbomah; and members of Ijaw Women Connect led by its P
resident, Mrs Rosemary Oduone.
Jude Ossai (JP) a veteran journalist is a National Diploma holder in Mass Communication from Ogwashi-Uku Polytechnic Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State. He also studied at Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) Enugu and Imo State University, Owerri for his first and second degrees in Mass Communication, respectively.
He writes extensively on politics, crime, corruption, climate change, healthcare, human rights, social justice, among others.
He began his journalism career in The Republic Newspaper, Lagos in 1987 as a Special Correspondent in Benin City, Edo State.
In 1990, he was posted from Lagos to old Anambra State as a State Correspondent in Enugu.
In 1994, he joined the African Newspapers of Nigeria (ANN) Plc, Ibadan, Oyo State, Publisher of Nigerian Tribune Newspapers where he rose to the rank of Southeast Bureau Chief.
Retiring from the mainstream traditional media in 2019, he began another journey in online newspaper publication.
He was the Overall Best Reporter in 2015, an award bestowed on him by Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Enugu State.
He has attended several workshops/seminars organised by multi-nationals, government institutions, local and international media including BBC.
He is also a unionist and had held top positions as Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Journalists of Enugu Correspondents’ Chapel and State Council of NUJ, respectively. He was also a one-time Enugu State Secretary of Sports Writers’ Association of Nigeria (SWAN).
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