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PAP: 98 Delegates Deployed For Maritime-Related Skills Training As Otuaro Charges Cadets On Commitment

Published

12 months ago

October 31, 2024

Dr. Dennis Otuaro (middle) in a group photograph with cadets.

The Presidential Amnesty Programme, on Wednesday, deployed 98 delegates for a boot camp and a refresher course in maritime-related skills as part of its manpower development scheme for the Niger Delta.

Addressing the maritime cadets during the flag-off ceremony at the Joemarine Institute of Nautical Studies and Research, Otomewo, Delta State, the PAP Administrator, Dr Dennis Otuaro, said that manpower and human capacity development were critical to the economic growth of the region and indeed the country.

Otuaro described the deployment of the 98 maritime cadets as strategic and in tune with President Bola Tinubu’s policy on the blue economy to harness the massive opportunities in the country’s maritime industry for national development.

He noted that President Tinubu was interested in manpower development for the nation’s blue economy, stressing that the PAP Office deployed the 98 maritime cadets to train skilled workers for the maritime sector of the economy.

Otuaro, in a press statement signed by his Special Assistant on Media, Mr Igoniko Oduma, on Thursday, urged the maritime cadets to take their one-month boot camp and refresher training seriously and demonstrate discipline throughout the duration of the programme.

The PAP helmsman said, “I consider this deployment of 98 delegates as strategic because the administration of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is very interested in human capacity development for the blue economy. Manpower development is very important to our region and our country.

“Today, we are starting with 98 delegates as maritime cadets for the blue economy. And you all owe us a duty to be committed to your study, and demonstrate that the Niger Delta people are ready to key into the blue economy policy of the President.

“Your moral conduct should be high. See yourselves as ambassadors of the PAP and the region. We will not condone absconding. Obey the regulations of Joemarine. Our eyes are on you. We need good results from you for your communities, the Niger Delta and the President who is very happy over this deployment.”

He, again, thanked the President for giving him the opportunity to serve his Niger Delta people.

Otuaro also expressed confidence in the expertise of the Joemarine Institute of Nautical Studies and Research to carry out the training effectively to achieve the desired objectives.

Earlier in his speech, the PAP’s Head of Vocational Training Unit, Mr. Lambert Daunemighan, had explained that the training was designed by a team of personnel from the Presidential Amnesty Office, South Side International Resources (the consultants) and Joemarine Institute of Nautical Studies and Research.

Daunemighan described the deployment as “a rare achievement by the PAP Administrator”, noting that the aim was to develop world-class maritime professionals for the country’s maritime industry.

The CEO/MD of Joemarine Institute of Nautical Studies and Research, Akpos Epidei, said that the institute had trained over 10,000 maritime professionals from different parts of the country within the past 14 years.

Epidei, who conducted Otuaro and other officials on a facility-tour of the institute, thanked the PAP Administrator for finding them worthy to handle the training of the maritime cadets.

Mr. Ebi Jackson who responded on behalf of those deployed expressed gratitude to the PAP office for giving them a platform to acquire maritime-related skills with potential for meaningful engagement in the maritime space.

In their separate remarks, the Pere of Akugbene-Mein Kingdom and chairman of the institute’s governing council, HRM Pere Luke, as well as the CEO/MD of South Side International Resources, Captain Warredi Enisuoh, commended the PAP Administrator for his policy of continuity.

They also advised the delegates to be worthy ambassadors of the Programme as their good performance would encourage the PAP Office to deploy more Niger Deltans for training to improve the manpower base of the region.

News

Ovia South West Council Chairman, Edobor Bags National Merit Award

Published

10 hours ago

October 24, 2025

Editor

The Acting Chairman of Ovia South West Local Government Council in Edo State, Hon. Charles Nosakhare Edobor, has bagged the 2025 Nigerian Local Government Merit Award (LOGMA).

He was awarded as the Best Performing Local Government Chairman in Nigeria (Security and infrastructure development, purposeful leadership).

Speaking after being conferred with the prestigious award, Edobor applauded the organizers for recognizing his administration’s commitment to localizing good governance.

He highlighted his leadership’s remarkable strides in building a sustainable, livable, and prosperous council area through numerous people-oriented programmes and projects-particularly in road infrastructure and the provision of basic social amenities.

Edobor dedicated the award to the Governor of Edo State, Senator Monday Okpebholo, and to the good people of Ovia south west Local Government Area.

He expressed satisfaction with the honour. He emphasized that the award would further spur him to work harder in pursuing people-centred programmes aligned with Senator Monday Okpebholo’s S.H.I.N.E and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Edobor commended Governor Okpebholo for his visionary leadership and unwavering support for local government administrations across the state.

He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to deepening rural development, empowering youth and women, and ensuring the dividends of democracy reach every ward in Ovia south west local government.

Earlier, in his welcome address at the event which held on Wednesday at the National Merit House, Abuja, the National Coordinator of LOGMA, Chief Bayode Ojo, stated that the award was designed to showcase the achievements of local government chairmen and reward excellence in grassroots governance – particularly those who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to promoting grassroots development despite the challenges confronting the third tier of government.

He congratulated all the awardees for making the final list after rigorous scrutiny and spot-checking of some of their executed projects to verify the authenticity of their claims.

Chief Ojo further urged the awardees to continue to be shining examples of sustainable growth at the grassroots and in the country at large.

News

JUST IN: Tinubu Sacks CDS Musa, Names New Army Boss

Published

10 hours ago

October 24, 2025

Editor

President Bola Tinubu has made changes in the hierarchy of the Service Chiefs in furtherance of the efforts of the Federal Government of Nigeria to strengthen the national security architecture.

The President appointed General Olufemi Oluyede to replace General Christopher Musa as the new Chief of Defence Staff.

More to follow…

News

Lagos Inaugurates 24-hour Traffic Management Operations

Published

1 day ago

October 23, 2025

Editor

The Lagos State Government has launched two transformative initiatives designed to recalibrate traffic governance and restore environmental sanctity across the metropolis.

In a visionary bid to guarantee seamless mobility and safe commuting at all hours, the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has formally instituted a 24-hour operational framework for traffic management and enforcement across Lagos State.

The groundbreaking initiative, officially commissioned by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Sola Giwa, constitutes a seminal moment in the evolution of Lagos’s transportation governance.

It manifests Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu’s strategic ambition to ensure the uninterrupted movement of people, goods and services within Nigeria’s economic epicentre—a city that operates continuously, unhindered by congestion or disorder.

According to Giwa, the 24-hour operational regime epitomises the administration’s steadfast dedication to constant vigilance, operational efficiency and disciplined traffic regulation, especially as the metropolis approaches the festive period, traditionally characterised by heightened vehicular and commercial activity.

This information was contained in a statement yesterday by the Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department of LASTMA, Adebayo Taofiq.

He elaborated that the framework is meticulously designed to facilitate continuous monitoring, rapid emergency response and immediate clearance of traffic obstructions irrespective of time, thereby mitigating congestion and enhancing the commuter experience.

“This initiative exemplifies the Lagos State Government’s resolute commitment to safeguarding mobility, preserving lives and sustaining economic productivity through perpetual traffic oversight,” Giwa stated.

A pivotal component of the initiative is the establishment of the Night Rapid Response Gang, a specialised unit within LASTMA charged with swiftly addressing nocturnal traffic incidents, including vehicular breakdowns, collisions and other obstructions along critical arteries of the metropolis.

In tandem with these traffic management reforms, the Lagos State Government also executed a comprehensive clearance operation along Apapa Road, Costain and the Ijora Under Bridge, eliminating illegal structures, shanties and unregulated trading that had long obstructed free vehicular flow and compromised public safety.

The far-reaching enforcement exercise, spearheaded by Sola Giwa in coordination with LASTMA, the Nigeria Police Force, Mobile Police (MOPOL), the Lagos State Task Force and the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC), culminated in the removal of unauthorised traders, makeshift structures and multiple environmental infractions.

During the operation, enforcement teams uncovered an illegal diesel dumping site and impounded substantial quantities of expired plantain chips and cheese balls, stored under unsanitary conditions—a testament to the government’s prioritisation of public health and environmental integrity.

The exercise followed persistent warnings and public sensitisation campaigns urging illegal occupants under bridges to vacate. Teams also identified blocked drainage channels choked with metallic debris, contributing to perennial flooding and environmental degradation.

Furthermore, several commercial buses and tricycles operating unlawfully along the newly constructed Costain Bridge and Apapa Road were impounded.

Shanties adjacent to St. Catholic Church School, Apapa Road, were demolished, reinstating the area to its intended urban and educational purpose, while criminal hideouts beneath the Ijora Bridge were dismantled to enhance public security.

Giwa reaffirmed that the Sanwo-Olu administration will not compromise on public safety, environmental protection or the rule of law, stressing that Lagos must remain a city distinguished by structure, order and discipline.

General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, appealed to traders, transport operators and commuters to comply with government directives, utilise designated markets and parking facilities, and actively support the administration’s efforts to maintain a safe, efficient and orderly metropolis.

He emphasised that the integration of 24-hour traffic management with environmental enforcement represents the Lagos State Government’s holistic approach to sustainable urban mobility—one that blends innovative regulation, proactive enforcement and civic responsibility.