The Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) at the weekend in Benin City, Edo State, lamented poor performance of beneficiaries under its scholarship scheme across various higher institutions of learning, saying that rather than engaging in serious reading culture, they are engaged in frivolous petitions against the PAP leadership.
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At an interactive meeting with stakeholders and PAP delegates, the Amnesty Office frowned at the shoddy performance of some of the benefiaries in their examinations, disclosing that no fewer than 21 of them were dropped in recent times from their schools for irregularities and poor examination performances.

Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Major General Barry Ndiomu (retd) who was represented by Wilfred Musa, PAP’s Head of Reintegration, said:” PAP is certainly not happy that some of our ex-agitators are not doing well at the universities they were secured admission for. No fewer than 21 ex-agitators already in 300 level were in dropped out for very poor academic performances. We can’t continue to spend money in waste when the students are not ready for learning, instead of reading for their examinations, they are engaged in frivolous petitions.”

He added that “PAP has resolved to prioritize admission for beneficiaries into any university of their choice because it will no longer be business as usual, especially with use of lists, and we will ensure that all admissions are followed with the universities’ standard of admission and not list. The PAP cannot be involved in wasteful venture with poor standards. We will only support those who are willing to be trained within the Amnesty Programme”.
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Ndiomu charged the leaders to take up the responsibility of projecting the workings of the Amnesty Programme in their leadership domains.

The PAP boss noted that the programmes and policies of the Amnesty Programme over the years have been very robust, especially in the area of scholarship, adding that with the recent ugly experiences, the PAP has resolved henceforth, to prioritize admissions and proper screening of application for scholarship.

“We are going to be screening properly, all applications for scholarship and loans to set a standard. We will not allow the leaders among you to be sleeping with the females and as well be collecting money from them. We are going to be meeting with them on one on one for proper screening,” he said.

General Ndiomu however appreciated beneficiaries for maintaining high level of decorum especially at various interactive meetings held in Rivers, Calabar, and Abuja. He urged them to shun divisive tendencies capable of inciting disunity, adding that as leaders, they should rise up and shut down side talks, frivolous petitions of bringing down the Amnesty Programme set out to ensure empowerment for the Niger Delta region.
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“We have been applauded on the loan scheme and we task the beneficiaries to ensure unity, particularly in the Third Phase of the Amnesty Programme where we have redesigned the programme for the betterment of the Niger Delta region. As for the loans, government reserves the right to revoke it back from those who are foot dragging to pay, because it is a loan and is not for unserious ventures.

“We urge them to stop sending useless Whatsapp messages and frivolous petitions. We have spent so much in ensuring that the right things are done with the beneficiaries who will in turn represent the Amnesty Programme very well because you cannot cut your nose to spite your eyes”.

The Interim Administrator expressed satisfaction with the success recorded at the interactive meeting with the beneficiaries, especially with their level of understanding. He however appealed to them to ensure peaceful coexistence and desist from engaging in “pull him down syndrome”.

While some beneficiaries described the monthly stipend of N65,000 as poor, General Elaye Slaboh, National President of Leaders of ex-agitators, said the interactive meeting was a huge success, as it paved ways for the leaders to express their reservations.

He urged the PAP leadership to ensure that the interactive meeting is a routine engagement to help streamline some grey area of the Amnesty Programme, especially in the Third Phase.
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