PAP sends 54 more postgraduate scholars to UK

Nathan Tamarapreye, Yenagoa

A further 54 beneficiaries of the Presidential Amnesty Programme’s offshore postgraduate scholarship scheme have departed Nigeria for the United Kingdom to begin their studies.

The scholars left Abuja and arrived in London on Friday, joining a broader group of Niger Delta beneficiaries pursuing postgraduate degrees at universities across the UK.

The Special Assistant on Media to the PAP Administrator, Dr Dennis Otuaro, Mr Igoniko Oduma, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday.

Oduma said the 54 scholars were among 150 beneficiaries who underwent a pre-departure orientation programme in August.

Their deployment brings to 243 the number of offshore postgraduate scholarship beneficiaries sent abroad by Otuaro’s administration in 2026.

The scholars will pursue programmes in fields including software engineering, cybersecurity, global public health, oil and gas engineering, law, fintech analytics, construction engineering management, forensic auditing and data science.

Otuaro urged the beneficiaries to remain focused on their studies and conduct themselves as responsible ambassadors of Nigeria and the Niger Delta.

He also advised them to obey UK laws and comply with the rules and regulations of their respective universities.

The administrator said the scholars were expected to return to the region after completing their programmes and apply their skills to community development and nation-building.

“Education is the vehicle for the socio-economic advancement and sustainable peace and stability of the Niger Delta,” Otuaro said.

“Investing in the education of the youths of the region is a sure way of guaranteeing a greater and better tomorrow for the region.”

Otuaro attributed the scholarship deployments to President Bola Tinubu’s support for the PAP under the Renewed Hope Agenda, while commending the Office of the National Security Adviser for its guidance and support.

He also thanked other stakeholders for their cooperation in implementing the scholarship scheme.

“We express our profound appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his massive support of the programme. Without his strong backing, the huge deployments would not have been possible,” he said.

Otuaro also commended the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, for his supervision and professional input into the programme.

“We are also very grateful to the National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, for his efficient supervision, deep insights and professional input that have helped the programme,” he said.