Four cadet pilots under amnesty programme graduate in South Africa

Dennis Otuaro, the administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), says four cadet pilots on the scholarship scheme have graduated from the type-rating programme in South Africa.

The four cadet pilots are Lawrence Oliki, Kingsley Bassey, Osekporovwere Diamond, and Crosby Otobo. 

Speaking during the weekend when he hosted the young pilots at the PAP office in Abuja, Otuaro said they completed their programme at Sim Aerotraining Limited in Johannesburg, South Africa.

In a statement signed by Igoniko Oduma, special assistant on media to the administrator, Otuaro said the cadet pilots graduated on June 28 and received their certificates during a ceremony at the aviation training institution.

The graduation event was attended by key officials, including Captain Keith Roseveare, managing director/head of training at Sim Aerotraining Ltd; Rendani Mbedzi, project coordinator; Lambert Daunemigha, PAP head of vocational training unit; Ebimene Jackson-Jackson, the administrator’s secretary; and Toby Precious, a senior reintegration officer.

Otuaro reiterated PAP’s commitment to improving the manpower base of the Niger Delta through vocational and educational training, empowerment, and agriculture

He expressed delight at the cadet’s performance while presenting them with plaques of excellence.

He praised President Bola Tinubu “for his invaluable support and unshakable desire to ensure that the Programme remains committed to its objectives for the region and the nation.”

The amnesty administrator described the cadet pilots as worthy ambassadors of the programme and assured them of continued support.

“We will encourage you to go to the right places. Under my administration, we will not just train people for the sake of training, but will continue to create opportunities for our people and everyone will have his dream fulfilled,” Otuaro said. 

“We will support you; we will not abandon you. This also applies to other areas under our mandate, from vocational to education, agriculture, empowerment etc, to make our region very attractive for positive impact. I am happy that you are back and ready to contribute to the development of our country.

“Your profession is a very sensitive one. Today, we want to encourage you, and emphasise that the Programme is impacting on human capital development in the region. Our people should be available in every area when the opportunity comes. This is the flying side of aviation training. There are other aspects.”

He commended Lambert Daunemigha, head of PAP’s vocational training unit, and other officials for their efforts in ensuring the completion of the aviation training by the cadet pilots.

In an interview, Daunemigha noted that the cadet pilots were deployed to South Africa on May 31 in collaboration with Alom Aviation Services Ltd.

“The training was designed to ensure that pilots are not only proficient in handling aircrafts but also adept at making decisions during unexpected situations. The programme was rigorous, with a strong focus on safety, adherence to regulatory standards, and operational efficiency,” he said. 

“The pilots completed their programmes on the 28th of June 2024 and they now have a thorough understanding of the ERJ-145 and ATR-72 500 aircrafts.

“They can handle complex flight scenarios, and they meet the highest standards of aviation safety and professionalism. Their hard work, dedication, and commitment to excellence have brought them to this point in their careers.”

Lawrence Oliki, speaking on behalf of the trainees, thanked the federal government and the PAP administrator for the sponsorship, while promising to strive to be successful in the aviation sector.

In previous initiatives, PAP sent 40 trainees for aircraft maintenance engineering at Leadstream Aviation Training in Lagos and deployed multiple batches of cadet pilot trainees to various training institutions in Johannesburg.