Itsekiri youths fault PAP over 2026 scholarship list

National leadership of the Itsekiri National Youth Council, INYC, has expressed dissatisfaction with what it described as ethnic bigotry in the Presidential Amnesty Programme, PAP.

INYC accused those coordinating the programme of excluding Itsekiri youths from the 2026 Presidential Amnesty Scholarship.

Public Relations Officer of the INYC, Tuoyo Ebigbeyi, in a statement, urged the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, to urgently address what he described as an injustice “that threatens the peace and unity of the Niger Delta.”

The Itsekiri youth leadership demanded the immediate review of the 2026 scholarship list and the inclusion of Itsekiri beneficiaries, insisting on a transparent and ethnically balanced selection process going forward.

The statement reads: “The INYC wishes to bring to the urgent attention of the National Security Adviser the growing tension and sense of injustice arising from the 2026 scholarship deployment process.

“Information available to us confirms that names have already been forwarded to private universities in Nigeria for local scholarships while the programme continues to pretend it is receiving applications from interested candidates. Shockingly, there is not a single Itsekiri name on the list.

“The INYC believes this continued exclusion is a direct result of the persistent ethnic bigotry allegedly exhibited by the coordinator of the programme. This pattern, if left unchecked, threatens the peace and unity of the Niger Delta.

“We respectfully call on the National Security Adviser to caution the Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Dr Dennis Otuaro, to set aside ethnic bias and ensure that the Itsekiri ethnic nationality is given equal opportunity in this and all future scholarship programmes.

“Denial of educational opportunities to any ethnic group is a recipe for an avoidable crisis. The Itsekiri people have contributed immensely to national development and deserve fair treatment. Therefore, the INYC demands the immediate review of the 2026 scholarship list and the inclusion of Itsekiri beneficiaries.

“We also demand a transparent and ethnically balanced selection process going forward, and urge the NSA, as the nation’s chief security adviser, to use his office to prevent actions capable of destabilising the region. We remain committed to peace, but we will not keep quiet in the face of injustice.”