....As Students Allege That Otuaro Used This brief, One-Month Course To Falsely Claim That They Had Completed Full Marine Training.

In a shocking exposé that has sent waves through Nigeria's political landscape, 98 marine students have come forward with damning accusations against Dennis Otuaro, the current Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP). The students allege a web of deception, corruption, and neglect that spans over a decade, leaving their careers and futures hanging in the balance.

The controversy centers around a marine training program that promised to transform these young Nigerians into internationally certified seafarers. What began as a beacon of hope in 2014 has devolved into a nightmare of broken promises and alleged fraud.

According to the aggrieved students, their ordeal began under the tenure of former Amnesty Coordinator Kingsley Kuku. A deal brokered by the Foundation for Youth Development, owned by then-Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Chibudom Nwuche, was meant to send the beneficiaries to the prestigious World Maritime University in Malmö, Sweden. The program, designed to span 15 months, would have provided both shore-based and offshore training, equipping the students with coveted international certifications.

However, after just five months abroad, the students were abruptly recalled to Nigeria, ostensibly for "further documentation." This return marked the beginning of an 11-year saga of neglect and alleged embezzlement.

"They embezzled the money and dumped us," one trainee stated, his voice tinged with frustration. "Since 2014, we've been fighting to get back to school and complete what we started. Eleven years later, we are still here."

The students' plight took a surreal turn in 2017 when they discovered their photographs being used by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) in promotional materials. NIMASA had portrayed them as fully trained seafarers, a claim that was patently false. This misrepresentation not only added insult to injury but also raised serious questions about the integrity of Nigeria's maritime agencies.

The appointment of Dennis Otuaro as Amnesty Coordinator in 2024 initially rekindled hope among the abandoned students. Otuaro promised a refresher course at Joe Marine Institute in Warri, Delta State, as a prelude to completing their training abroad. However, the students allege that Otuaro used this brief, one-month course to falsely claim that they had completed full marine training.

This alleged deception reportedly contributed to a staggering increase in the Amnesty Programme's budget, from ₦65 billion to over ₦151 billion. The students argue that this inflation was based on fraudulent claims about their training status.

"He paraded us as fully trained officers of the watch, engineers, and captains," one student revealed. "Meanwhile, we only did one month of basic revision. He then used those claims to justify a massive increase in the Amnesty Programme's budget."

Adding to their grievances, the students claim that Otuaro has suggested redirecting them into agriculture, a field entirely unrelated to their marine engineering and seafaring training. This proposal has been met with disbelief and anger from the affected individuals.

The 98 marine students are now demanding justice on two fronts. First, they seek compensation from NIMASA for the unauthorized and misleading use of their photographs. Second, they insist on the completion of their original training program, rejecting what they see as propaganda and budget padding that falsely portrays them as certified seafarers.

As this scandal unfolds, it casts a long shadow over the Presidential Amnesty Programme and raises serious questions about accountability in Nigeria's public sector. The students' fight for justice continues, even as their dreams of maritime careers remain adrift in a sea of alleged corruption and bureaucratic indifference.