Former President of Itsekiri National Youth Council, Barrister Esimaje Vincent Awani, has said that the deployment of 5,000 students to Novena University in Ogume, Ndokwa West Local Government Area of Delta State, was conducted fraudulently, ” deviating from the operational template of the PAP ( Presidential Amnesty Programme) Office.”
According to Barrister Awani, findings revealed that the deployment of 5,000 students to a single university, was unprecedented in the history of PAP.
Whilst insisting that no deployment schedule was issued to Novena University for contractual purposes, rendering the process illegitimate, the former Itsekiri youth leader in a statement late on Monday, September 8, averred that investigation, uncovered racketeers , who sold non – existent slots to innocent individuals, defrauding them of their resources.
He claimed that the university, was implicated in the alleged illegal practice.
Awani, asserted: “Clarification on the Fraudulent Deployment of 5000 Students to Novena University
“The deployment of 5,000 students to Novena University has been investigated by a committee established by the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) office. “The investigation concluded that the deployment was conducted fraudulently, deviating from the operational template of the PAP office.
“Key Findings:
– The deployment of 5,000 students to a single university is unprecedented in the history of the PAP.
– No deployment schedule was issued to the university for contractual purposes, rendering the process illegitimate.
– The investigation uncovered racketeers who sold non-existent slots to innocent individuals, defrauding them of their resources.
– The university is also implicated in this illegal practice, having failed to conduct due diligence.
“Exoneration of Dr. Dennis Otuaro
Given the fraudulent nature of the deployment, the PAP office, under the leadership of Dr. Dennis Otuaro, cannot be held responsible. It’s worth noting that Dr. Otuaro was appointed as the Administrator of PAP in March 2024, and his administration has expressed commitment to transparency and innovation.
“The present Administrator has done his best in including the Itsekiri nation in his agenda unlike the past Administrators who threw caution to the wind. For example, over 210 itsekiri applicants were considered for the 2025/2026 academic session with inclusion of some foreign students. This data is within my disposal as the person interfacing with the office on behalf of the Itsekiri nation. We however asked for more if the opportunity avails itself as we have more interested applicants who are ready to be engaged.
“Moving Forward
We appreciate Dr. Otuaro’s leadership style and open-door policy, which has made this administration more accessible to the people of the Niger Delta Region. His efforts to increase the number of scholarship students and improve the program’s effectiveness are commendable.
“Conclusion:
We express our sincere appreciation to Dr. Dennis Otuaro for his dedication to transparency and innovation in the PAP. We look forward to collaborating with him to deliver on the program’s objectives.”
