Skip to main content

Nigerian govt. not owing foreign students in Amnesty Programme – Boroh

Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, Paul Boroh,
Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, Paul Boroh,
The Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta/Coordinator, Presidential Amnesty Office, Paul Boroh, says the beneficiaries on the offshore programme abroad have been paid their school fees, upkeeps and other allowances.
Mr. Boroh, retired brigadier general, disclosed this in a statement by the Director of Information, Amnesty Office, Charles Dafe, on Saturday in Abuja.
While debunking the allegations that the Nigerian Government owed some amnesty beneficiaries abroad their entitlements, he said that 90 per cent of the beneficiaries would graduate in December.
The coordinator also disclosed that the office would be left with only 10 per cent of the beneficiaries on scholarship abroad.
He said, “With our beneficiaries in onshore Nigerian universities including those on vocational training, our office if fully up to date in settling their educational and empowerment requirements.
“We have no funding issue in settling our offshore and onshore students.
“There are other developmental agencies for the Niger Delta region that have granted scholarships to students abroad and may have payment issues for their students, they are not sponsored by Presidential Amnesty Office.”
Mr. Boroh said that those alleging that the amnesty office had outstanding foreign students’ bills were peddling false information and were being unpatriotic to the sacrifices and efforts of the government.
He alleged that some of the changes he had introduced into the programme, like domestication of the programmes that did not require sending beneficiaries abroad, had precipitated unfair attacks by those it affected.
Other changes according to him include policy of strategic exit arrangement, which compelled beneficiaries that have been educated and vocationally empowered to quit the programme.
“These government well-considered changes or policies are meant to reduce government expenditure and are in the best interest of the country.
“The policy changes in the programme affected some students, who failed their studies and expect government to fund their endless time of studies.
“It also affected militants not originally captured in the programme pressurising to be part and those that have benefitted first degree but insisting that the programmes must see them up to doctorate degree level,’’ he said.
(NAN)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

250 Nigerians die of snakebite in three weeks

November 5, 2017 Agency Report Snake used to illustrate the story. Two hundred and fifty victims of snake bite have died in the last three weeks in Plateau and Gombe states, following an acute scarcity of snake anti-venom drugs in the country. The figure represents the number of confirmed deaths from three snake treatment centres – General Hospital, Kaltungo, Ali Mega Pharmacy, Gombe and Comprehensive Medical Centre, Zamko, Plateau State. A correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria who visited the three medical outfits, met other victims in critical situations, with some of them left on bare floors as the doctors said they were helpless without the anti-venom. NAN reports that the snake anti-venom drugs – Echitab Plus ICP polyvalent and Echitab G monovalent – had not been supplied to the country since August, throwing the treatment centres into crisis after the last vials were used up in the firs...
NDDC diverted N183bn Niger Delta development money, Auditor General insists August 19, 2015 Maiwada Abubakar Muhammad At least N183 billion that was meant for the development of Nigeria’s oil rich Niger Delta, was diverted by those put in charge of the government development commission for the area, the Auditor General of the Federation, Samuel Ukura said Wednesday. Mr. Ukura insisted on the veracity of his special audit report accusing the management of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, of diverting the money. The Auditor General said his office stood by the report and directed those not satisfied to be prepared to defend their position before a special committee of the National Assembly. “The Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation stands by the Special Periodic Checks on the NDDC and its contents. Any person or corporate organization not satisfied has the opportunity to def...