Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) Administrator Dr Dennis Otuaro has assured the management of the Bayelsa Medical University (BMU) in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, of the Programme’s readiness for collaboration to remedy the shortage of medical professionals in the Niger Delta region.

The PAP boss said there was a gap in medical personnel in the region, stressing that one of the major objectives of the Programme is human capital development in the region.

Otuaro, who gave the assurance when he led the PAP management team on a visit to the BMU, on Friday, May 10, 2024, stated that the Amnesty Programme Office and the university could strengthen their partnership to train more students in critical areas in the health sector.

Before BMU, he and his team had visited Igbenedion University and Benson Idahosa University in Edo State; Western Delta University, Oghara; the Edwin Clark University, Kiagbodo; and the Michael and Cecelia Ibru University, Ughelli, all in Delta State, as a part of his tour of tertiary educational institutions partnering with the PAP.

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During the visits, Otuaro interacted with the PAP scholarship students and the management of the institutions with a view to getting first-hand information towards improving service delivery.

A statement issued on Sunday by his Special Assistant on Media, Igoniko Oduma, quoted the PAP Administrator as saying the Niger Delta was faced with two major challenges, including limited infrastructure and human capital development.

Otuaro, however, applauded the BMU for being a success story of the PAP scholarship scheme and playing the role for which it was established by the Bayelsa State Government.

Otuaro said: “The Amnesty Programme under my watch will focus on developing the human capital in the Niger Delta.

“The Bayelsa Medical University is very vital at this time when we need more trained medical professionals to cater to the healthcare needs of our people and drive development in the Niger Delta region.”

In his remarks, BMU Vice-Chancellor Prof Ebitimitula Etebu congratulated the PAP boss on his appointment by President Bola Tinubu.

He also commended Otuaro for the deliberate decision to visit the institutions where scholarship students are studying, saying: “This demonstrates the vigour and dynamism you have brought to the Programme.

The Star