98 maritime delegates sponsored by the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) for a boot camp and a refresher course in specialised maritime-related skills at the Joemarine Institute of Nautical Studies and Research in the Otomewo area of Delta State have completed their training.

A formal close-out ceremony for the 98 PAP maritime cadets was held at the institute’s premises to mark their graduation from the one-month vocational training on Tuesday, November 26, 2024.

Speaking at the event, the PAP Administrator, Dr Dennis Otuaro, said the deployment of the maritime cadets for the exercise was part of the PAP’s manpower and human resources development schemes for the Niger Delta.

Otuaro described the training as strategic, stressing that it was aimed at equipping the maritime cadets with the requisite skills for the country’s maritime industry that was anchored on President Bola Tinubu’s policy on the blue economy.

The PAP boss said: “I am very delighted that you have successfully completed your boot camp and refresher course. It is another significant milestone that underscores the commitment of the PAP under my leadership towards developing the requisite manpower and human capital for the Niger Delta.

“Manpower and human resources development are critical to the economic growth and development of the Niger Delta and indeed the country.

“More importantly, your training in specialised maritime-related skills is very strategic. It aligns with the policy of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, on the blue economy to harness the massive opportunities in the nation’s maritime industry for national development.”

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He lauded Tinubu and the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, for their support for the PAP and the region’s economic growth, development and stability.

Otuaro said his administration would strive to train more Niger Deltans in specialised vocational skills in diverse trade areas, formal education, and post-training empowerment, among others, under the programme’s reintegration template to foster sustainable peace in the region.

He congratulated the maritime cadets on the feat they had achieved and advised them to explore the vast opportunities in the blue economy and maritime domain, which he said is their natural environment as Niger Deltans.

Otuaro also commended them for demonstrating high discipline throughout the duration of their training, urging them to show professionalism and competence which would help them when players in the maritime industry engage their services.

The MD/CEO of Joemarine Institute of Nautical Studies and Research, Akpos Epidei, thanked the PAP administrator for believing in their ability to carry out the training and made recommendations for higher certification programmes for maritime cadets in the near future.

On his part, the Speaker of Delta State House of Assembly, Emomotimi Guwor, who was represented by one of his aides, Amafini Akemeotubo, commended Otuaro for refocusing the programme for better service delivery to the people of Niger Delta.

The Star