A former President of Itsekiri National Youth Council, Barr. Esimaje Vincent Awani, has clarified the reason behind the non-payment of tuition fees by successive Administrators of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) for 5,000 students that were fraudulently deployed to Novena University in Ogume, Ndokwa West Local Government Area of Delta State, and that the PAP office under the leadership of High Chief Dr. Dennis Otuaro cannot be held responsible.

Awani's clarification is in response to a disclosure by Prince Collins Edema, the Sole Representative of the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III, to NNPCL and its Joint Venture Partners on Sunday, September 7, that the Olu has offered lifeline to students of Itsekiri extraction that graduated from Novena University under the PAP, but were denied their certificates over reported failure by successive Administrators of the PAP to pay their tuition and clearance fees.

According to Barr. Awani in a statement on Monday, September 8, revealed that the deployment of the students was fraudulent which deviates from the operational template of the PAP Office.

He said, "The deployment of 5,000 students to Novena University has been investigated by a committee established by the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) office" and that "The investigation concluded that the deployment was conducted fraudulently, deviating from the operational template of the PAP office."

Awani who disclosed key findings from the investigation revealed that, "The deployment of 5,000 students to a single university is unprecedented in the history of the PAP" and that "No deployment schedule was issued to the university for contractual purposes, rendering the process illegitimate."

He further said that "The investigation uncovered racketeers who sold non-existent slots to innocent individuals, defrauding them of their resources" and "The university is also implicated in this illegal practice, having failed to conduct due diligence," he stated.

While exonerating the current PAP Boss, Barr. Awani noted that Dr. Otuaro, who was appointed as the Administrator of PAP in March 2024, has demonstrated commitment to transparency and innovation, especially in running an open door policy to include the Itsekiris unlike previous Administrators.

"The present Administrator has done his best in including the Itsekiri nation in his agenda unlike the past Administrators who threw caution to the wind. For example, over 210 itsekiri applicants were considered for the 2025/2026 academic session with inclusion of some foreign students.

"This data is within my disposal as the person interfacing with the office on behalf of the Itsekiri nation. We however asked for more if the opportunity avails itself as we have more interested applicants who are ready to be engaged," he appealed 

Speaking further, the former INYC president appreciated Otuaro for making his "administration more accessible to the people of the Niger Delta Region. His efforts to increase the number of scholarship students and improve the program's effectiveness are commendable. We express our sincere appreciation to Dr. Dennis Otuaro for his dedication to transparency and innovation in the PAP. We look forward to collaborating with him to deliver on the program's objectives."

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