...As Beyond Amnesty Stagnation Lies a Culture of Deception, Oppression, and Unlawful Detention

From its inception in 2009 under the pioneer administrator, the late Major General Godwin Abe, to the immediate past leadership of Major General Barry Tariye Ndiomu, the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) maintained a foundational standard. 

Predecessors consistently paid the N65,000 monthly stipends, organized critical leadership and vocational training, and sponsored delegates on foreign educational scholarships. In terms of educational empowerment, no administrator has yet matched the benchmark set by Kingsley Kuku.

Remarkably, all previous administrators accomplished these tasks within a monthly budgetary allocation of N65 billion.

A stark contrast emerges when evaluating the current era under Dennis Otuaro. Following intensive advocacy efforts, the federal government increased the program's monthly allocation to N115 billion, an enormous addition of N50 billion monthly. 

Yet, despite this massive influx of funds, Otuaro has brought nothing new to the table. In fact, the office is lagging behind. The vibrant vocational training programs that defined past administrations have largely vanished, raising a critical question. What is being done with the extra N50 billion naira?

Beyond administrative stagnation, a deeper culture of deception, oppression, kidnapping, and the unlawful imprisonment of Niger Delta voices has begun to emanate from the Oporoza faction.

"Immediately this increment was effected last year, a source within Aso Rock called to congratulate me on the success of my advocacy for the Amnesty office budget. Overwhelmed with joy, I called Edgar Biu, a technical adviser in the office, to confirm the news, only for him to flatly deny it."

Days later, the budget increase became public knowledge. That act of deception shattered professional trust and severed what was once a collaborative relationship.

Intelligence gathering, deep stakeholder analysis, and interactions with ex-agitator leaders, delegates, and internal PAP staff reveal a troubling financial picture. Even after factoring in potential stipend adjustments, ongoing logistics, and official programs, Otuaro’s administration is left with an estimated surplus of N25 billion every month.

Why then is this hardship being inflicted by someone who claims to be a freedom fighter, a man who climbed the ladder of success on the back of the Niger Delta struggle? Why deny the people their legitimate rights?

With these current financial realities, Dennis Otuaro has no valid excuse not to support a substantial upward review of stipends and welfare programs for the delegates. 

If he claims he lacks the unilateral power to do so, the solution is simple; he must immediately raise the necessary memorandum through the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) to President Bola Tinubu.

Given the presidency's original intent behind expanding this budget, President Tinubu would undoubtedly grant an express approval. Anything short of this memorandum is a bureaucratic game, one that will be fiercely resisted until accountability is restored to the Niger Delta.