Presidential Amnesty Programme has dismissed reports that it is owing tuition fees for 5000 students of Itsekiri extraction at Novena University, Ogume, Delta State. The agency in a statement on Tuesday said it has no outstanding obligations in Novena University or any other institution within or outside Nigeria.
The statement was in reaction to claims made by the Office of the Sole Representative of His Royal Majesty Ogiame Atuwatse III, CFR, the Olu of Warri to NNPLC. The office alleged that the Amnesty Programme was indebted to Novena University on behalf of Itsekiri students who graduated under the scholarship scheme of the programme.
Collins Oritsetimeyin Edema, representing the monarch, had said in a statement that the supposed liability compelled the Olu’s palace to announce an intervention to clear tuition and other outstanding fees of the affected graduates.
The Amnesty Office, however, explained that no records exist in Novena University or in its own files to suggest that 5000 Itsekiri students were ever awarded scholarships under the programme. According to the agency, the claims were misleading and not backed by official records.
The statement reads, “The management of PAP wishes to state unequivocally that it is not owing Novena university any tuition fees on account 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 wishes to say also that it is not owing tuition fees in any institution within or outside the country.”
It further clarified that a formal investigation was launched by a previous leadership of the agency into allegations of scholarship admission racketeering at Novena University and three other institutions. The findings, according to PAP, showed that the list of 5000 students came from the Itsekiri National Youth Council (INYC) in 2017 without any involvement of the Amnesty Office.
The report also indicated that there was no correspondence between Novena University and PAP that could validate the claims. During the investigation, the committee met with the president and secretary of INYC and also interacted with Novena’s Vice-Chancellor and other officials. The university management could not produce any official documentation linking PAP to the admission of the affected students.
“At the end of the exercise, the PAP duly informed the management of Novena University that the Amnesty Programme office would not bear any liability for the affected students. Doing so would have amounted to encouraging sharp practices. Therefore, the PAP could not have accepted responsibility and obligation where it had none. The affected Itsekiri graduates of Novena University that the Olu’s palace is intervening for, were never beneficiaries of the amnesty programme’s scholarship,” the statement said.
The Amnesty Office also pointed out that successive administrations before the current one, led by Dr Dennis Otuaro, had received the report of the investigation and agreed with its findings. This, it said, confirms that the official position has remained consistent over time.
The statement noted that Dr Otuaro has expanded the PAP scholarship scheme to create wider access to education for ex-agitators and beneficiaries in the Niger Delta. His administration, according to PAP, is focused on closing the human capital development gap in the region.
“Thankfully, Dr Otuaro has expanded the PAP scholarship scheme in order to create more access to higher education for ex-agitators and beneficiaries, and aggressively bridge the human capital development gap in the Niger Delta. His noble reforms and initiatives to ensure that the PAP renders efficient service to the people of the Niger Delta have been applauded in official quarters, as well as by all well-meaning individuals and organisations. Dr Otuaro remains unwaveringly committed to deepening the implementation of the programme’s mandate, especially through his policy of inclusivity, to complement the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, GCFR, for the Niger Delta,” the statement concluded.
