NO fewer than 160 Niger-Delta youths on Monday launched a slogan: #Boko Haram Release Our Sisters Now, urging the dreaded Boko Haram insurgent group to without further delay, release their sisters.
Just as the Special Adviser to the President on Niger-Delta and Chairman, Presidential Amnesty Programme, Hon. Kingsley Kuku charged the insurgents to release them to continue their education.
The girls who carried banners with inscription: "Boko Haram Release Our Sisters Now" made this call during the orientation event for Niger-Delta youths who are leaving the country for university education in the US and UK.
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The event which held at Eko Hotel in Lagos had in attendance Hon. Kingsley Kuku, Chairman, Senate Committee on Niger-Delta, Senator James Manager, immediate past Special Adviser to the President on Niger-Delta, Chief Timi Alaibe, Chaiman, House Committeee on Niger- Delta, Hon. Warman Ogoriba.
Others include, member, Senate Committee on Niger-Delta, Senator Sadiq Yar'Adua, member, Senate Committee on Niger-Delta, Senator Abdul Ningi and President, Actors Guild of Nigeria, Ms Ibinabo Fiberesima to mention a few.
Speaking at the event, Hon. Kingsley Kuku said: "I use the opportunity of this event to join millions of other God-fearing Nigerians to tell Boko Haram and its backers to quickly release the young girls that were dastardly abducted at the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State so that they can continue their education just like the kids we are celebrating today."
He said that in the face of unprecedented distraction, President Goodluck Jonathan has successfully collaborated with the globally acclaimed Kaplan International Colleges of the United States of America to institute a localized United States Pathway Programme (USPP) for youths in the country who are keen on, and qualified for university education in the US and in the UK.
He disclosed that 138 bright Niger-Delta youths who met all the academic requirements have been admitted into 10 universities in the US, just as 22 are admitted into universities in the United Kingdom. "Seventy-eight other Niger-Delta students who are beneficiaries of the special scholarship scheme of the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Niger-Delta are currently studying for various degree and post-graduate programmes in the US," he added.
Degree programmesIn partnership with Kaplan, Kuku noted that Presidential Amnesty Programme had succeeded in placing 84 youths in five universities in the UK, adding: "the 84 kids have since successfully completed their foundation stage and have since began studying for their full degree programmes at the Universities of Liverpool, Sheffield, Nottingham Trent, Glasgow, Brighton, Brunei and Anglia Ruskin University – all in the United Kingdom."
"The Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Niger-Delta currently has 635 students in over 60 universities in the UK," he added.
He said, "With the experience we garnered from placing the 84 young kids in university foundation programmes abroad, we resolved as an office, that we could cut costs and have our young delegates do their universities' foundation here in Nigeria. Yet we were not prepared to compromise standards.
It was at this point that we challenged Kaplan International Colleges to come and invest in Nigeria, to set up a United States Pathway Programme for youths in the country that are keen on, and qualified for university education in the US. Kaplan accepted our challenge and about eight months ago, instituted right here in Lagos, Nigeria, a world class US Universities Pathway facility with full faculty members from the US.
"One hundred and thirty-eight of the initial 180 delegates we enrolled in the school have successfully completed the required course load in Nigeria and have now been distributed across 10 universities in the US to continue their educational pursuits. Another batch of 22 delegates will depart for the UK in June this year to immediately commence their first year of studies at Nottingham Trent University. Unfortunately, 20 delegates were unable to meet the requisite course load. These ones are currently being processed for placements in Nigerian universities.
Academic excellence
Kuku who congratulated the 38 delegates and their parents urged them to draw inspiration from several of their compatriots in universities in the US who, though in their first and second years of studies, are already winning awards for academic excellence. However, for any youth to benefit from the scholarship scheme, such person must hail from one of the Niger-Delta states of the federation.
He must have finished his/her Senior School Certificate Examination with relevant qualifications before application. Miss Chiamaka Aghaizu, 17, who topped her class in the foundation programme with CGPA 4.0 told Vanguard that she also had 4As and 4Bs in her WAEC before she was admitted.
Aghaizu who hails from Imo State said she is going to the US to study Chemical Engineering and come back to work in oil and gas industry.
Speaking in the same vein, Hon. Nurudeen Usman who spoke on behalf of Senator James Manager, Chairman, Senate Committee on Niger- Delta said: "We must create enabling environment for these graduates to thrive when they come back. If they don't get what they want when they come back, they will revolt.