By Atoyebi Nike
The Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) has successfully completed the distribution of laptops to final-year students benefiting from its scholarship initiative across various universities in Nigeria.
According to a statement issued on Wednesday by Mr. Igoniko Oduma, Special Assistant on Media to the PAP Interim Administrator, Dr. Dennis Otuaro, the distribution exercise took place between April and May 2025, covering 663 recipients in 26 partner institutions and 72 non-affiliated universities.
The initiative, aimed at bolstering academic research and productivity, also coincided with the physical verification and orientation of 3,171 new scholarship beneficiaries for the 2024/2025 academic year.
Led by PAP’s Head of Education, Dr. Charles Ariye, deployment teams visited the institutions to hand over the laptops and engage the students on PAP’s educational policies and expectations.
Dr. Otuaro, while addressing the rationale behind the gesture, emphasized that the provision of laptops was a deliberate step to equip students with tools necessary for academic excellence. He recalled making this promise during his campus tour of partner universities in 2024.
“We are empowering these students to succeed, and we trust they will use these resources responsibly. This is a demonstration of our commitment to their academic journey and the broader development of the Niger Delta,” Otuaro said.
He noted that the verification and orientation components were introduced to ensure transparency, track student progress, and reinforce awareness of programme guidelines among new entrants.
In his message to the scholarship recipients, Otuaro advised them to remain focused, avoid distractions, and live up to the trust placed in them by the federal government.
Reaffirming the PAP’s broader vision, he stressed that his leadership would continue to support education and youth empowerment as part of President Bola Tinubu’s agenda for peace, stability, and progress in the Niger Delta.
“We will deepen our partnerships with academic institutions and promote access to higher education. This investment in human capital aligns with our mission to strengthen national development and promote sustainable peace in the region,” he said.
Otuaro also expressed gratitude to President Tinubu for his unwavering backing of the programme, describing it as a clear indication of his commitment to the growth and wellbeing of Niger Delta youths.
