PAP Scholarships Not Available To 5000 Novena Varsity Itsekiri Graduates.
9.September 2025
Presidential Amnesty Programme denies owing 5000 Itsekiri students’ Novena University, Ogume, Delta State tuition fees.
The PAP declared on Tuesday that the agency owes no fees at Novena or any other institution in the country.
According to the Office of the Sole Representative of His Royal Majesty Ogiame Atuwatse III, CFR, the Olu of Warri to NNPLC, the Amnesty Programme is “indebted” to Novena University for “all Itsekiri students” who graduated from the university under the program’s scholarship scheme.
Collins Oritsetimeyin Edema, the monarch’s envoy, claimed that the supposed liability prompted the Olu’s palace to intervene to settle the “outstanding tuition and clearance fees” of all Novena Itsekiri graduates.
However, PAP claimed that Novena University and the Amnesty Office have no records of scholarship awards to 5000 Itsekiri students.
PAP stated that the findings of an inquiry by former agency directors found that the Itsekiri National Youth Council (INYC) transferred 5000 indigenes to Novena university management in 2017 without agency involvement.
It noted that the PAP could not be held responsible for non-deployed students.
“The management of PAP wishes to state unambiguously that it is not owing Novena university any tuition fees on behalf of the said Itsekiri graduates and any claim to the contrary is totally false, baseless, and represents an attempt to stand truth on its head.
“PAP also denies owing tuition at any university in the nation or abroad.
“To clarify, the affected Itsekiri graduates were investigated by a previous PAP leadership for scholarship admission racketeering under the program’s formal education at Novena. Three more cooperating universities were examined.
“The inquiry found that the Itsekiri National Youth Council (INYC) sent 5000 Itsekiri indigenes to Novena university in 2017 claiming to be PAP scholarship recipients.
“The examination found that the list was not PAP-approved or authorized by the Amnesty Programme office. Thus, the impacted Itsekiri residents were not PAP scholarship recipients.
“The inquiry also found no correspondence between the PAP and Novena university indicating that the PAP approved the purported list of 5000 Itsekiri students to be deployed to the university.
“During its work, the investigative committee met with the INYC president and secretary, as well as Novena university principal officers led by its Vice-Chancellor, who could not produce any documentation between the PAP and the institution on the affected Itsekiri graduates.
“After the exercise, the PAP informed Novena university management that the Amnesty Programme office would not be liable for the affected students. Doing so would have encouraged sharp practices.
“The PAP could not have assumed responsibility and obligation where it had none. The Itsekiri graduates of Novena university the Olu’s palace is intervening for were never amnesty program scholars.
“All PAP administrations before the current one, led by Dr. Dennis Otuaro, had seen the official investigative report and respected the indisputable facts.
I’m glad Dr. Otuaro increased the PAP scholarship scheme to give ex-agitators and recipients more access to higher education and aggressively tackle the Niger Delta’s human capital deficit.
The official quarters and all well-meaning individuals and organizations have praised his laudable reforms and initiatives to guarantee the PAP serves the Niger Delta people efficiently.
“Dr. Otuaro remains unwaveringly committed to deepening the program’s mandate, especially through his inclusivity policy, to complement President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for the Niger Delta.”
Signed:
Mr Igoniko Oduma
Special Assistant on Media to the Administrator, Presidential Amnesty Programme.
09/09/2025
