A leading Niger Delta advocacy group, the Ijaw People’s Development Initiative (IPDI), has dismissed as misleading and unsubstantiated a statement circulating under the banner of the “Niger Delta Stakeholders Forum and Niger Delta Ethnic Nationalities” over the management of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) and its Administrator, Dennis Otuaro.
In a statement signed by its National President, Ozobo Austin, the group said it was compelled to respond “point by point” to what it described as misconceptions, baseless insinuations and demands contained in the publication, in the interest of PAP beneficiaries, stakeholders and the general public.
IPDI stressed that the PAP operates within the framework of strict federal financial regulations and is subjected to routine audits by statutory oversight bodies, including the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation and the Ministry of Finance. It added that all disbursements covering stipends, vocational training, education support and third-party contracts are processed through the Treasury Single Account (TSA) with verifiable records.
According to the group, while the Programme welcomes lawful criticism and scrutiny, attempts to link allegations to specific individuals without evidence amount to media trial and undermine due process. It noted that no formal petition backed by verifiable evidence has been submitted to any anti-graft agency against Otuaro.
On the issue of beneficiaries’ stipends, IPDI explained that the N65,000 monthly payment is fixed by the Appropriation Act and can only be reviewed through a budgetary process approved by the National Assembly and the Presidency. It added that PAP management has consistently conveyed beneficiaries’ concerns over rising living costs to relevant authorities.
The group also faulted claims that increased allocations to the Programme in recent years were inconsistent with unchanged stipends, describing such assertions as a misrepresentation of the budget structure. It clarified that the additional allocations were tied to expanded reintegration initiatives, education sponsorships, skills acquisition programmes and infrastructure support for training centres, rather than stipend payments alone.
IPDI further described as “false, reckless and defamatory” allegations that the Amnesty Office kidnaps and detains delegates, maintaining that the PAP has no paramilitary or law enforcement mandate and does not operate detention facilities. It challenged the authors of the claims to provide verifiable details of any such incident for appropriate legal action.
Responding to allegations of selective empowerment and claims of “500 per cent payment increases,” the group stated that payments to contractors, ex-agitator leaders and service providers are governed by existing contracts and agreements predating the current administration. It insisted that no individual or camp had received unilateral increases outside due process, describing the claims as attempts to sow division among beneficiaries.
IPDI added that the current administration had sustained a policy of transparency in its engagements and had broadened inclusion by verifying and capturing previously omitted beneficiaries where necessary.
Reiterating the mandate of the Programme, the group noted that the PAP remains a neutral peace-building institution established under the 2009 Amnesty Declaration to coordinate disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration.
It maintained that the Office does not engage in political victimisation, intimidation or exclusion, and that engagements with ex-agitator leaders and community structures are based on their roles in sustaining peace and reintegration.
The group affirmed that under Otuaro’s leadership, the PAP remains committed to transparency, fairness and its core mandate, welcoming constructive criticism but rejecting what it termed campaigns of calumny and attempts to drag the Programme into political or commercial disputes.
IPDI urged stakeholders to channel grievances through established engagement channels and called on the public to disregard what it described as flimsy and unsubstantiated allegations by faceless groups.
