By John Alechenu
ABUJA — Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Dr Dennis Otuaro, has urged the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) to mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
Otuaro said it was in the strategic interest of the Ijaw and Niger Delta people for Tinubu to secure a second term in office.
He spoke in Abuja when the newly inaugurated 10th IYC leadership, led by its President, Dr Doubra Okotete, paid him a courtesy visit.
In a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Media, Mr Igoniko Oduma, on Monday, the PAP administrator urged Ijaw youth leaders to resist moves capable of causing division in the region and mobilise support for the President.
Otuaro said, “My appeal to the IYC is that nothing should divide us. 2027 is already here. Let us back the President and mobilise for him to win a second term.
“We should not allow anybody to cause division among us or trade us for a new hope. It is within the Ijaw strategic national interest to support the President to secure victory.”
He commended the IYC and other Niger Delta stakeholders for supporting the peace-building efforts of the Amnesty Programme.
According to him, their cooperation had been “massive and encouraging” and had contributed to sustaining peace and stability in the region.
He said the support had also enabled PAP to expand its scholarship programme and reposition the agency.
Otuaro added, “Many well-meaning stakeholders of the Niger Delta, including the IYC, are in support of the direction we have taken.
“Together, we are preparing the next generation for a greater tomorrow in the Niger Delta through huge scholarship opportunities.”
He said only a few individuals were opposed to the reforms, particularly the expansion of the scholarship scheme.
The PAP administrator disclosed that 8,700 beneficiaries were currently studying in Nigerian institutions, while more than 270 were enrolled in offshore universities.
He added that 93 students were deployed abroad in January and May, while another 150 were scheduled for deployment in August and September.
Otuaro said President Tinubu and the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, were pleased with the progress being made to consolidate peace in the region.
Earlier, Okotete said the visit was to acknowledge what he described as the “unprecedented success” recorded in the education and empowerment of Niger Delta youths under Otuaro’s leadership.
He commended the PAP administrator for what he described as judicious use of funds, saying it had enabled thousands of youths to access quality education.
Okotete also expressed the IYC’s readiness to collaborate with PAP and explore areas of greater partnership.
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