The Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) has said that the Administrator of the programme, High Chief (Dr.) Dennis Otuaro, has so far deployed over 9000 students to universities within and outside Nigeria for different industry-relevant programmes since his assumption of office in March 2024.

The PAP made the disclosure in a statement released and signed by Mr Igoniko Oduma, Special Assistant on Media to the Administrator, PAP, on Thursday, January 8, 2026.

The PAP further disclosed that 34 foreign post-graduate (PG) scholarship beneficiaries have been successfully deployed on Thursday to various universities in the United Kingdom for the 2025-2026 academic year, with more foreign PG scholars to be sent to the UK in the current academic session.

According to the statement, the scholars' programmes include data science, fintech analytics, cyber security, international energy law and policy, construction project management, public health, agri-food technology, electrical and petroleum engineering, among others.

In December 2025, nine students, who were the first set of offshore PG scholarship drafted by the PAP Administrator for the 2024-2025 academic year, graduated from their various programmes in UK universities.

Speaking at the pre-departure orientation programme for the scholars at the PAP headquarters in Abuja, on Thursday, Otuaro, who was represented by his Technical Assistant, Mr Edgar Biu, said that the large-scale deployment was aimed at making the Niger Delta a knowledge-driven region, and that the Administrator's leadership reinvigorated the programme to give it a new momentum in service delivery to the people of the region based on the mandate of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

"We are sending all of you for post-graduate studies in various universities in the United Kingdom. The PAP now has a new momentum and direction because of the repositioning and broad reforms that we carried out in line with the mandate of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR," Otuaro said. 

"The objective behind the huge scholarships deployment is to ensure that we develop the needed human capital to transform the Niger Delta and generate knowledge-wealth. We want to develop relevant manpower in critical disciplines for our region and by extension, the country, because you are expected to contribute your quota to national development after successful graduation," he added.

The PAP boss advised the scholars to study hard to achieve academic excellence in their various fields of research as they have an obligation to justify that the Federal Government's investment in their education and future is worthwhile, while warning that beneficiaries should not take for granted the opportunity to further their academic pursuits in the interest of the Niger Delta and indeed the country.

Otuaro expressed appreciation to President Tinubu for his "enormous interest and support for the Programme", particularly the approval of an upward review of the programme's budget from N65 billion to N150 billion.

He also expressed gratitude to the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, for his impeccable guidance and supervision of the programme's initiatives.

Otuaro cautioned the scholars, who were presented laptops to help them in their studies, to obey their host country's laws and the rules and regulations of their various institutions, stressing that they are ambassadors of Nigeria, the Niger Delta and their communities and families.

#penglobalcommunity #PAP #NigerDelta