A Niger Deltan, Abai Francis, has taken a swipe at the Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Major General Barry Ndiomu (rtd), for what he termed as "belittling" of Niger Deltans over the PAP's recent remark on the poor performance of students under its scholarship programme to beneficiaries from the region.

It would be recalled that the Interim Administrator of PAP, through its Head of Reintegration Department, Mr. Wilfred Musa, in a letter with reference number OIAPAP/ND/CR/2023/256, published on 31st August 2023 under the headline: REVISED CUMULATIVE GRADE POINT AVERAGE (CGPA) FOR FORMAL EDUCATION ONSHORE SPONSORED STUDENTS, and addressed "To all PAP Formal Education Sponsored Students" had disclosed the need to review the CGPA from 1.5 to 2.5 over poor performance of students across the board.

Part of the letter reads: "Historically, Formal Education onshore sponsored students have been required to attain a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 1.5 to maintain their Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) Education scholarship. However, the failure rate and poor performance of beneficiaries across the board constitutes the basis for the decision to review and introduce this measure. The Interim Administrator, Presidential Amnesty Programme has therefore approved a new minimum CGPA of 2.5. This will take effect from 1st September 2023 for the 2023/2024 academic session."

Continuing, the Head of Reintegration Department had warned that "At the end of the 2023/2024 academic session, the results of all sponsored students will be anaysed by the PAP Office. If any student’s CGPA is found to be below 2.5, his or her PAP scholarship will be withdrawn without any opportunity for reinstatement."

However, responding to the letter, Mr. Abai frowned at the statement from the PAP and said that it is an attempt to pass the buck rather than tackling the problem head-on, which he said is majorly rooted in the poor foundational structure existing in the education sector, particularly those in the riverine areas where majority of the PAP beneficiaries hail from.

"I wish they can also ascribe this rating to those in governance as well," Mr. Abai said in reference to the poor performance ascribed to beneficiaries of PAP. “Sadly, it is only the under-privilege ones in society they give this kind of lashing in the public while those who fail in governance are worshipped and praised,” he lamented.

"When the so-called beneficiaries lack quality foundational education as evident in the lack or absent of teachers and poor infrastructures in the riverine schools in the region, what do they expect? Their performance is also a reflection of the failure of those leading in governance," he added.

"The Niger Delta region should boast of the finest schools because we have the resources to achieve that. But what do we see in the region instead?" he fumed in anger, while adding that it is a “Shame on our leaders, especially those from the region who play politics of neglect.”

Mr. Abai therefore called for the issue of poor performance in students to be tackled head-on rather than the PAP, which is an agency of the government, condemning the situation without offering any solution other than review of the CGPA, which he said should not stop there.

"I am not a beneficiary of the scheme (PAP), but as an indigene from the affected area in the region it is sickening. Let them go to the creeks and see for themselves the deplorable state of education there. This is an oil region for Christ sake! Yet, the people are neglected and everyone that comes in look for who to sacrifice to achieve their petty aims.

"The government, both local, state and federal, should declare an emergency over the education sector in the riverine areas. Times without number this issue has been raised and published in the media, but nothing is done to reverse the ugly trend. To be born in the creeks, is it a crime, while the oil is not?" he asked rhetorically.

"I am not defending the poor performance of students or giving a backing to failure. The PAP itself that have disclosed the rate of failure as high should know that such is a pointer that something is wrong somewhere. To withdraw such students from the programme is not the final solution. Remember, the aim of PAP is indirectly to quell agitation. So assuming there are no improvements, where do they want those students to go?" he queried.

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