Akure—Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Ondo State, has announced special admission criteria for Niger Delta ex-agitators in which JAMB will not be a requirement for enrolling into the institution.
According to a report by Dailytrust, FUTA management stated that the institution will assist the federal government in skill acquisitions and vocational training of ex-agitators who are beneficiaries of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) through its pre-degree programme.
The Pro-Chancellor and Chairman Governing Council of FUTA, Amb. Godknows Igali, stated this when he led the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Fuwape and other top officials of the institution on a courtesy visit to the Interim Administrator of PAP, Col. Milland Dixon Dikio (rtd).
Igali commended the federal government’s move to train, employ and mentor ex-agitators in efforts to sustain the existing peace in the oil-rich region.
He noted that Dikio has exhibited pragmatic leadership so far as interim administrator of PAP, adding that, his passion for the region is a testament to his commitment to peace, stability and development of the region.
He said: “Your vision to train, employ and mentor beneficiaries will bring further development and economic prosperity to the region and the nation at large.
“In line with that, in FUTA we have the capacity to train ex-agitators to become agents of change that will reverse the narrative of a people dependent on stipends, become employers of labour and contribute largely to the economic growth of the region through our centre of entrepreneurship.
“We have a pre-degree programme, so they don’t have to go through the JAMB cycle.
“Our programme also recognizes JAMB, so we will be able to accommodate a lot of trainees into it.”
Also speaking, the Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Joseph Fuwape, noted the institution had the capacity and facilities to support the PAP in terms of research, manpower development programmes, fish farming, among others.
Dikio, in his response, commended the management team of FUTA for the gesture and promised to set up a team to evaluate the offer and draw up a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
The amnesty boss acknowledged the importance of technology in national development.
He also said informal education was just as important as conventional education, noting that relevant vocational and business skills could be learned and used to transform lives and the mindsets of ex-agitators.
