Allegations against Amnesty Coordinator false, says group

By Abubakar Yunusa

The allegation that the Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Dennis Otuaro is orchestrating troubles in the Niger Delta has been described as false and unsubstantiated.

Recall that an organization, the Warri Media Group, had in a recent statement signed by the quartet of Alex Shola Omaretsesione, Lily-white O. Esigbone, Apoh and Tosan Osandatuwa alleged that Otuaro, an appointee of President Bola Tinubu, is responsible for undermining peace efforts in the Niger Delta region.

The group also claimed that Otuaro teamed up with others to remove Edith Eyesan as the Executive Vice President, Upstream, Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.).

However, in a statement by Eregbene Pascal, spokesman of the Niger Delta Rebirth Organisation, and made available to the press on Thursday, the organization described these allegations as misleading and baseless.

“Why we are not unmindful of the shenanigans of those who are jolted by the performance of Mr. Otuaro since his appointment to spearhead the all-important intervention to rectify the mistakes of the past, we like to say that the issue of development shouldn’t be ethnicised. Ordinarily, we would not have bothered to reply to these jesters but for record purposes.

“Saying that Mr. Otuaro has been working tirelessly to achieve the mandate of peace and stability in the Niger Delta region is akin to praising someone for what he is expected to do. To every peace-loving individual, the issue of joining the Ijaw nation to celebrate the Isaac Boro day should be seen with a spectacle of peace building and not injurious to anyone. In fact, the mandate of the PAP includes peace building among communities in the Niger Delta,” the statement read.

The group also maintained that attempts to bring the country’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, into the matter smacks of hypocrisy and an attempt to gain undue sympathy.

“We make bold to say that Mr. Otuaro, together with others, supported the aspiration of President Bola Tinubu and would never attempt to do anything to tarnish the image of the administration. All ethnic nationalities within the PAP are important and considered for the programme. Mr. Otuaro is committed to achieving the aims of PAP and has nothing to do with theIndependent National Electoral Commission’s delineation exercise in Warri.

“We also like to use this opportunity to alert the public to the antics of this shameless group of individuals. Allegation that Mr. Otuaro teamed up with to remove Mrs. Edith E. Eyesan as the Executive Vice President, Upstream, Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.), is also unfounded. Mr. Otuaro’s sterling performance in the last one year has been termed one of the best years since the last 14 years of the creation of PAP.

“Apart from reducing tension and conflicts in the region, he has continued to work closely with ex-agitators, community leaders, and government agencies so as to ensure that PAP beneficiaries receive their entitlements as and when due. Gone are the days of just stipend payment, beneficiaries now get real empowerment programmes via training, skills development, and business support to help ex-agitators fit back into the society. All these have led to improved security and business activities in the Niger Delta,” the statement added.