General Emma Satu, an Ex-agitator from the Niger Delta, at the weekend lauded the Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Dr Dennis Otuaro, for prioritising education in the region.
Emma Satu said that Otuaro did that through various educational initiatives of the interventionist agency, including its scholarship programmes.
Responding to questions from newsmen on the achievements of the Dr Otuaro-led PAP since his appointment by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu about two years ago, he said that Dr Otuaro’s educational initiatives are aimed at supporting the Federal Government’s developmental agenda for the Niger Delta region.
He disclosed that several youths across the region have benefitted immensely from the various educational programmes, especially the scholarships.
General Satu described as remarkable the success of the sixty student beneficiaries who bagged First Class degrees between 2016-2023 and the deployment of over one hundred and forty post-graduate students to the UK in September this year.
He said there was another deployment of one hundred and sixty-one post-graduate students to the United Kingdom.
The ex-freedom fighter, who noted that Dr Otuaro’s efforts were strategic, cited disciplines like electrical/electronics engineering, computer science, civil engineering, accounting, law, petroleum engineering, physics, and biochemistry as critical to the growth and development of the oil-rich region.
He added that posterity will judge Dr Otuaro fairly for spearheading educational advancement programmes and partnerships with various state governments and local institutions like the Bayelsa Medical University to build capacity and train professionals in key fields while equipping Niger Delta youths with relevant skills to be self-sustaining to enable them to contribute to the development of their communities, State and nation at large.
The youth leader stressed the need for stakeholders across the region to sustain the peace initiatives in their areas, working with the Amnesty Office and the federal government to attract the much-needed attention to the region in the form of investment, infrastructure, job creation and empowerment.
He said: “Dr Otuaro has broadened the scope of the Amnesty programme by enrolling several beneficiaries in the training programmes for aviation and marine engineering, with several of them concluding their courses and being deployed, not to mention the leadership training for beneficiaries in phases one, two and three, which are still ongoing in batches.
“The Presidential Amnesty Programme, with the support of President Tinubu, has achieved significant progress in education, which is in line with the eight-point Renewed Hope Agenda of the president.
“The focus on education as a tool to better the lot of our youths has been successful. Dr Otuaro and his team at the Amnesty Office have succeeded in securing overseas postgraduate scholarships, enrolled thousands of students in onshore and offshore programs, and have supported local institutions, all in a bid to channel the focus of our youths away from armed agitation and restiveness.
“We need to commend Dr Dennis Otuaro for his visionary and pragmatic leadership. His focus on education as a means to change the Niger Delta narrative.
‘Under his leadership, several innovations were completed, but you see, the one in education has brought so much joy to the people of our region. For example, not long ago, two thousand students were enrolled in both offshore and onshore educational programs during a recent academic session”.
“Another set of beneficiaries was also deployed for specialised training in areas like aviation and maritime studies to support specific economic sectors.
“You can see that these are deliberate efforts on the part of the Presidential Amnesty Programme and the federal government to curb the insecurity in the region.”
