By: EMMA ARUBI, Warri A former President of the apex Itsekiri youth organization- Itsekiri National Youth Council (INYC), Barr. Esimaje Vincent
By: EMMA ARUBI, Warri
A former President of the apex Itsekiri youth organization- Itsekiri National Youth Council (INYC), Barr. Esimaje Vincent Awani has said that the deployment of 5,000 Itsekiri students to Novena University Ogume, in Ndokwa-West Local Government Area of Delta State was conducted fraudulently and at variance with the modus operandi of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) Office.
He said that the deployment of 5,000 students to a single university was unprecedented in the history of PAP.
According to him, no deployment schedule was issued to Novena University for contractual purposes, thus rendering the process illegitimate.
He noted that investigation uncovered racketeers who sold non – existent slots to unsuspecting innocent individuals and thereby defrauding them of their hard earned money but admitted that the university was also implicated in the alleged illegal practice, he explained.
“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”.
Barr. Awani revealed that Key Findings of investigation include, “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 amongst others.
“Specifically, it exonerated Dr. Dennis Otuaro the PAP Administrator of any involvement in the vex issue and so
cannot be held responsible since he was only appointed in March 2024 and has been commitment to transparency and innovation to the admiration of all.
“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”.
Esimaje appreciated Dr. Otuaro’s leadership style and open-door policy, which has made his administration more accessible to the people, stating that, “We look forward to collaborating with him to deliver on the program’s objectives in a transparent and level playing field for all Niger Deltans”, he posited.
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