The Ijaw Youths Network has commended the Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Dr Dennis Otuaro, for his unflinching commitment to the peace and development of the Niger Delta.
The youth group lauded the PAP for the recent award of over 3000 scholarships to students of Niger Delta extraction.
The IYN in a statement on Saturday by its National Coordinator Frank Ebikabo and Secretary, Federal Ebiaridor, said that Otuaro has not departed from his avowed commitment to bridging the human capital development gap in the Niger Delta.
The group also commended the PAP boss for the recent deployment of 161 beneficiaries from impacted communities for targeted programmes in universities in the United Kingdom.
They urged Otuaro to remain focused and dedicated to the cause of the region and ignore all attempts by mischief makers to distract him.
According to the group, the deliberate steps being taken by Otuaro to spread educational opportunities in the communities of the Niger Delta remain one of the most effective ways of entrenching lasting peace and development in the region.
Ebikabo and Ebiaridor said that the Niger Delta and indeed the entire country would feel the positive impacts of Otuaro’s visionary input to education in years to come.
The youth leaders also commended the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, for his strategic supervision of the Presidential Amnesty Office, and contributions to entrenched peace in the Niger Delta.
The IYN called on youths of the Niger Delta to prioritize the interest of the region in making a political choice in 2027, even as they urged them to back Otuaro’s call to support the President Bola Tinubu in the forthcoming election.
They recalled the efforts by Otuaro in previous scholarship deployments and vocational training, stressing that the president has been very supportive of the PAP initiatives.
The group said, “We have noted with keen interest the recent deployment of a huge number of Niger Delta indigenes for scholarship programmes within and outside the country.
“The record we have shows that over 3000 young people are benefiting from these unprecedented efforts of the PAP under Otuaro’s leadership within the country and 161 in the UK universities for the 2025/2026 academic year.
“We at the IYN commend the PAP boss for his laudable efforts. We know his antecedents, and we are not surprised that he has made this level of unprecedented impact within a short time.
“We urge him to remain focused on the job and ignore detractors spreading falsehood about the programme and its leaders.
“We also call on our colleagues in the Niger Delta to give the requisite support to Otuaro and the Tinubu administration, which has given priority to issues affecting our people.”
