Interim Administrator, Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Col. Milland Dixon Dikio (rtd), on Thursday, charged the scheme’s scholarship students to acquire skills in areas that can guarantee them instant gainful employment in reputable organisations at the end of their studies.
Dikio stated this in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, at a meeting with a delegation of the students under the auspices of the National Association of Presidential Amnesty Students Worldwide (NAPASW).
The meeting was part of Dikio’s routine engagement to hear students’ challenges and encourage them to attain greatness.
The PAP boss noted that the world had moved from conventional learning to knowledge-based economy, adding that individuals possessing such skills would easily secure jobs.
“There is a means to an end; education is a means to an end. We are living in a knowledge-based world; now companies like Google are looking for people to employ. The end state is that Niger-Delta must be the best place to live and do business and that responsibility lies on not just us, but you as well,” he said.
Dikio reminded the students to be good ambassadors of the Niger Delta, stressing that his vision of making the region the best place to live and do business could only be realised with their collective efforts.
He asked them to be mindful of their public conduct, work hard to make good grades and become worthy in character and learning in their respective institutions.
The PAP boss assured them of his commitment to their welfare, warning that rascality of any kind would not be tolerated because such attitude would paint them in a bad light and derail the objectives of the scholarship scheme.
Dikio maintained that all the obligations owed them would be met, including the regular payment of their tuition fees and In-Training Allowances (ITAs).
He said, “Study hard, so that anybody you know will not go through what you went through. You can change the narrative, you can create a legacy that will outlast you and the region, or maybe at the barest minimum your village. But I think you should aim beyond Niger Delta, aim to be the best in the world; it is possible.”
While speaking earlier, President of NAPASW, Lucky Ukueku, thanked Dikio for his encouragement and for giving them the opportunity to air their views, stating that it was impactful and educational.
Ukueku appealed to the PAP boss to review the welfare status of the amnesty students in their respective schools, among other things.