By Mardiyyah Abubakar
The Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Dennis Otuaro, has urged the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide to mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in the 2027 presidential election.
Otuaro made the call when the newly inaugurated 10th leadership of the IYC, led by its President, Doubra Okotete, paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja.
He described Tinubu’s re-election as being in the strategic national interest of the Ijaw people and the Niger Delta.
Otuaro urged Ijaw youths to remain united and reject attempts to divide the region ahead of the 2027 elections.
He 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.”
The PAP administrator also commended the IYC and other Niger Delta stakeholders for supporting the programme’s peacebuilding efforts and reforms in the region.
He said their cooperation had helped sustain peace and stability while expanding educational opportunities for young people through the PAP scholarship scheme.
According to Otuaro, 8,700 beneficiaries are currently studying in institutions across Nigeria, while more than 270 others have been sent to universities outside the country.
He added that the programme deployed 93 beneficiaries in January and May and plans to send another 150 students to offshore institutions in August and September.
Otuaro said President Tinubu and the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, had expressed satisfaction with the PAP’s efforts to promote sustainable peace in the Niger Delta and expand educational opportunities for youths.
He stressed that maintaining peace and stability in the region requires collective responsibility.
Earlier, IYC President Doubra Okotete commended Otuaro for what he described as the PAP’s unprecedented achievements in educating and empowering Niger Delta youths.
Okotete praised the administrator’s management of the programme’s resources, saying his efforts had helped thousands of young people from the region access quality education.
He assured Otuaro that the IYC was ready to work with the PAP and explore opportunities for stronger collaboration.
