The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, on Friday, challenged students under the Presidential Amnesty Programme scholarship scheme to be shining examples in their universities of study.

He gave the charge in his remarks at the orientation programme for 1, 700 scholarship beneficiaries deployed in various Nigerian institutions by the PAP for the 2024/2025 academic session in Warri, Delta State.

Ribadu, represented by his Special Assistant on Niger Delta, Mr Goodluck Ebelo, urged the undergraduates to take full advantage of their sponsorship to acquire higher education and contribute to national growth and development after graduation.

The NSA further told the students that expectations concerning their academic journey were very high as he advised them to be well-behaved throughout the duration of their courses of study.

He said, “With this scholarship given to you, you have a huge opportunity to excel in your studies. Please, be shining lights in your different institutions of study and the expectation is that you will be very good students of this country.”

In his keynote address, the PAP Administrator, Dr. Dennis Otuaro, noted that the deployment of the beneficiaries signified a consolidation of the Niger Delta human resources base through the scholarship scheme.

He said that formal education was a critical component of the PAP’s intervention aimed at creating opportunities for the youths of the region, particularly indigent students from impacted communities, to achieve their dream of getting university education.

He said, “By sponsoring you for undergraduate studies, the PAP has taken a bold step to strategically deepen the Niger Delta formal education trajectory of bridging the human capital development gap to foster the region’s social-economic status. In fact, this is my desire and vision for our people.