● Appeal For More Support
The Special Adviser to the President on Delta Delta and Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Program, PAP, Dr. Dennis Burutu Otuaro on Monday met with Niger Delta traditional rulers in Warri, Delta State as part of an expanded engagement with critical stakeholders in the Niger-Delta.
Addressing the meeting, Dr. Dennis Brutu Otuaro in his opening remark, said the expanded meeting was convened with the traditional rulers to strengthen engagement as critical stakeholders, as well as to inform them of the ongoing reforms purposed to reposition the Amnesty Programme for result.
He appreciated the selected Niger-Delta monarchs for their sustained support for him and the president Bola Ahmed Tinubu led administration and solicited for more support.
Otuaro expressed that His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National Security Adviser to Mr President, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, are interested in the peace, unity and development of the Niger Delta region, and thus conveyed their regards to the Niger Delta traditional rulers.
He disclosed that the amnesty program has many areas of interest, ranging from education scholarship, vocational training, grant/loan and many others, while asserting that the expanded stakeholders meeting is very important because the traditional rulers and other interest groups are all critical parts of the amnesty program.
The PAP boss noted that the office is working hard in expanding the program to accommodate more people to the thirty thousand delegates already captured in the program, especially traditional rulers, women groups, elders and youth bodies from the region as impacted beneficiaries.
The PAP boss stated that the federal government is also working to mobbed up the Niger Delta communities in order to retrieve small firearms from militia youths and incorporate them in the amnesty program so as to sustain the existing peace in the Niger Delta region in particular, and Nigeria at large.
Speaking during the interactive session, the Pere of Akugbene Mein-Kingdom, Pere SP. Luke, Kalanama Vlll, thanked the amnesty coordinator for his laudable initiatives and astounding achievements in reforming the amnesty program to meet the ideals of the program.
He noted that as one keenly observing Dr. Dennis Otuaro’s huge strides in the areas of education, rehabilitation and capacity building, he was impressed by the reforms ongoing in the Amnesty program.
Pere Luke prayed God to grant the PAP helmsman the requisite wisdom to pilot the affairs of the program to achieve set goals.
On his part, the Ibenanaowei of Ogulagha Kingdom, HRM King Joseph Timiyan, who is the Chairman of Delta ljaw Traditional Rulers Council, described Dr. Dennis Otuaro as one of the best coordinators so far appointed by the federal government since the inception of the program and pledged his support for the Administrator’s mission.
While HRM, Justice FF Tabai, the lbenanaowei of Tuomo Kingdom advised the amnesty coordinator to focus more on the educational sector, especially the scholarship program so as to reform the mindset of the ex-agitators back to the society, while calling for more deliberate involvement of traditional rulers in PAP activities.
He appealed to the amnesty coordinator to always involve the traditional rulers in the activities of the program, promising to support him to deliver on the assignment given to him.
