The Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Dr Dennis Otuaro, has vowed to investigate and sanction PAP stakeholders allegedly collecting money from applicants for its scholarship for the 2025/2026 academic session.
A statement by PAP media officer, Mr Igoniko Oduma, said Otuaro stated this at the opening ceremony of the third batch of the three-day strategic Leadership, Alternative Dispute Resolution and Mediation Training organised by the PAP for its stakeholders in collaboration with the Nigerian Army Resource Centre, Abuja, on Wednesday.
Otuaro slammed those he regarded as unscrupulous characters, as he bemoaned some persons collecting money from parents and guardians of potential scholarship beneficiaries with all kinds of assurances.
Otuaro described the alleged âdishonest actâ as regrettable and unacceptable, as it taints the integrity of the scholarship application process.
He cautioned those involved to desist, promising to arrest all forms of extortionist activities.
He said, âI have received reports alleging some stakeholders collect money from applicants, parents and guardians with fake promises concerning the ongoing scholarship application process for the 2025/2026 academic year.
âFor the avoidance of doubt, the scholarship application process is free. No one should collect money from anybody; nobody should encourage someone to collect or give money to anybody for the scholarship exercise. It is free.
 âThose engaged in the alleged bad act should stop because I will not allow anyone to compromise the integrity of the application process. I urge all stakeholders to help discourage the collection of money for the scholarship. We will take drastic steps against anyone attempting to divert the opportunity of the scheme to swindle innocent people.â
The administrator urged applicants to resist payment of any amount of money to anybody for the scholarship, noting that the application process for both undergraduate and post-graduate scholarships is free.
âThe scholarship programme is a deliberate scheme for our people for a better tomorrow, it is not for our today. My leadership is committed to ensuring transparency and accountability even in the management of the scholarship award process, youthsâ access to higher education, and enhancing human capital development in the area,â Otuaro added.
Otuaro restated his resolve to ensure a transparent process in the management of the scholarship and ensure that the purpose of the scheme is not derailed by unscrupulous individuals.
He urged those qualified to apply through the PAP portal to await the response of the office, assuring that the process would be carried out fairly.
He stressed that the scholarship scheme was designed to increase the development of the Niger Delta.
Otuaro told the participants that the workshop was aimed at deepening their understanding of issues around the theme and equipping them to perform their leadership role better.
âYou are, in fact, also peace ambassadors of President Bola Tinubu. Therefore, you are expected to deploy the knowledge you would gain from this training to strengthen the ongoing peacebuilding process of PAP because the development of the region is in the priority agenda of the President,â he said.
The PAP boss, while declaring the workshop open, urged the participants to take the entire exercise seriously in the interest of the regionâs peace, stability and development.
