THE Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) is harvesting its good work in the Niger Delta. In the last few weeks, it has added to the list of first class brains who will help develop their region and, by extension, Nigeria.
Last weekend, at the Benson Idahosa University, Benin City, Edo State, 12 of PAP’s delegates bagged First Class Honours Degrees, 20 bagged Second Class Upper Division and 29 earned Second Class Lower Division.
Four of the First Class delegates came out as best graduating students at the 13th convocation ceremony of the university. 59 Amnesty delegates graduated in different fields at the 13th Convocation. The best Amnesty 1st Class delegates who made the list of best graduating students include, Mr. Bolei Gideon, (Department of Agronomy and Environmental Management), Mr. Azebi Oyeikurokaemo Marcodinho, (Geopphysics), Miss Febaide Mabel Ebiere, (Banking and Finance) and Miss Guwor Egbedetimi Williams (Sociology and Anthropology.
The Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Brig.-Gen. Paul Boroh (rtd), said: “Four of the 59 beneficiaries, came out as best graduating students in their various departments.
“I just have to state their names here, Mr Bolei Gideon, First Class Honours Department of Agronomy and Environmental Management, Mr Azebi Marcodinho, First Class Honors Geopphysics.
“Ms Febaide Ebiere, First Class Honours Banking and Finance and Ms Guwor Williams, First Class Honours Sociology and Anthropology. They have all made the people of the region and the Nation proud,” he said.
According to him, the graduation of the 59 delegates of the Amnesty Programme fitted perfectly into the Amnesty Exit Strategic Plan.
Gen. Boroh said the programme would continue to contribute to human capital development in the Niger Delta region and the nation at large.
He described the development as heart-warming, adding that President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to sustain the programme showed his sincere commitment to ensure peace, stability and rapid socio-economic development in the region.
Gen. Boroh hailed the beneficiaries for their exemplary performance in their academic pursuits.
According to the coordinator, people who are educated are better informed and can differentiate from what is right and what is wrong.
“Educated people are united by the sense of right and wrong”. And since they are aware of the situation in their environment, they can be relied upon.
He said the education of the youths would enable them have the sense of fulfilment in life and achieve their dreams.
He urged authorities of institutions where amnesty beneficiaries have broken academic records through their high performance to find ways of absorbing such high flying beneficiaries.
He said the amnesty educational empowerment programme has given hope to the youths in the region, and urged them not to allow anyone to short-change and mortgage their lives.
The strides of the delegates are not just at home. Some days before the Edo achievement, 45 beneficiaries graduated from two universities in Belarus with three of them clinching first class honours in Information Technology from the Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics. 29 majored in various fields from the Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics, 16 others trained in related areas at Brest State University, Belarus.
The graduation ceremony in Minsk was well attended by envoys from various countries with a delegation from the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme.
The First Vice Rector of Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics, Dr Siarhei Dzit, in the graduation speech, commended the international students, including the Amnesty delegates for their resilience and expressed hope that they would apply the knowledge gained in advancing the society.
He said: ‘’As one of the best international school in Information Technology, we are known to produce graduates with the requisite technical knowledge to meet contemporary challenges in the industry. I am optimistic that these graduates can firmly take their place in world class firms to exhibit their professionalism.’’
In a congratulatory message to the graduating students, Brig.-Gen. Boroh hailed the delegates for outstanding performance.
He said excellence was the hallmark of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, thus the expectations from every delegate to exude the highest level of competence and excellence in their chosen area of vocation.
Attributing the success to their peculiar position and drive as Niger Delta youths to better their lot in life, Gen. Boroh urged the graduates to put to gainful use the skills they now possess to place Nigeria on the map in Information Technology and other advanced technical areas.
He stressed on the imperatives for quality education , re-stating the commitment of the Amnesty Office to use education as a strategy for human capital development in the Niger Delta.
Gen. Boroh emphasised the resolve of the Muhammadu Buhari administration to create opportunities in the region and noted that as internationally certified technicians in specialised fields, the new graduates were better positioned to be part of government’s new projects in the Niger Delta.
He encouraged them to take advantage of efforts by government to involve Niger Deltans in oil production through the establishment of modular refineries, community pipeline surveillance and massive job opportunities in railway projects across the region.
A representative of the delegates and first class awardee, Christopher Okorie, thanked the Federal Government and the Amnesty Office for the unique opportunity given them to study in one of the world’s best universities. He said they were now change agents with the hope to give back to their country through professional service delivery.
