The Member representing Ideato Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Mr Ikenga Ugochinyere, has commended the Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Dr Dennis Brutu Otuaro, for expanding the programme’s focus on education, skills development and economic empowerment in the Niger Delta region.
Ugochinyere, in a statement on the performance of PAP under Otuaro, said the programme had placed greater emphasis on human capital development and sustainable livelihoods.
He cited the expansion of the PAP scholarship scheme, saying “4,500 students were deployed to universities across Nigeria for the 2025/2026 academic session, while overseas postgraduate opportunities were also expanded.”
The lawmaker also highlighted specialised training for beneficiaries in aviation and maritime services.
According to him, “40 aircraft maintenance engineers were deployed for specialised training and mandatory on-the-job experience, while cadet pilots received advanced aviation training in South Africa and Nigeria.”
He also commended the revival of training programmes for 98 maritime cadets whose studies had been stalled in Poland, Vietnam and Sweden.
Ugochinyere said “the restructuring of PAP’s beneficiary database was another significant development. 12,467 records had been verified, with 9,253 updated and 3,215 new beneficiaries added.”
He said the exercise was aimed at improving accountability and strengthening the monitoring of beneficiaries and scholarship obligations.
The lawmaker further commended the programme’s emphasis on dialogue and conflict prevention, including training for PAP stakeholders in alternative dispute resolution, mediation and leadership.
Ugochinyere said the focus on skills and professional development would help reduce dependency and create more sustainable opportunities for young people in the Niger Delta.
He commended President Bola Tinubu and the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, for their support for PAP.
He urged Niger Delta stakeholders to support initiatives that promote peace, education, skills acquisition and economic opportunities in the region.
PAP’s in-country scholarship deployment, according to the statement, rose from 3,800 beneficiaries in the 2024/2025 academic session to 3,900 in 2025/2026, alongside about 200 foreign scholarship beneficiaries.
