...Despite Repeated Complaints And Petitions To The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Itsekiri Communities Say They Remain Completely Excluded

.....As They are Calling For An Increase in The ₦66,000 Monthly Stipend For Ex-agitators Due To Rising Living Costs.

Despite sending numerous complaints and petitions to the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the group states that Itsekiri communities remain completely left out. 

The Warri Reclamation Thrust has passed a vote of no confidence in Dr. Dennis Otuaro, the Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP). 

The group accuses him of abusing his office and showing ethnic bias against ex-agitators from the Itsekiri ethnic nationality.

Comrade Tsaye Mene, Convener of the group and a major PAP stakeholder, raised the alarm during a recent briefing. She accused Dr. Otuaro of using his position to oppress Itsekiri beneficiaries who are fully recognized by the program and hold official United Nations verification codes.

According to the group, a consistent pattern of exclusion and neglect has targeted Itsekiri ex-agitators since the current administration took office. They claim the administrator is running a vindictive agenda that deliberately abandons Itsekiri beneficiaries while favoring specific groups.

Despite sending numerous complaints and petitions to the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the group states that Itsekiri communities remain completely left out. 

They have received no access to local or foreign empowerment schemes, capacity-building workshops, or educational scholarships.

A recent example highlighted by the group is a major stakeholder capacity training program valued at ₦339 million. Allegedly, not a single Itsekiri beneficiary was included. While the Itsekiri Ex-Agitators Forum strongly condemned the exclusion, the Amnesty Office took no corrective action.

Comrade Mene further alleged that zero Itsekiri beneficiaries have been deployed for local or foreign university education under the current leadership. She openly criticized what she termed "Gbaramatu clannish favoritism," warning that impacted Itsekiri communities are being systematically erased from the program’s benefit distribution.

To restore order and fairness, the group has submitted a list of firm demands directly to the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu. First, they are calling for an immediate review of the Amnesty Office’s engagement process to guarantee equal rights for all Niger Delta ethnic groups.

Second, they demand an equitable share of employment, training, and scholarship slots for the Itsekiri nation. To ensure transparency, they are also requesting the immediate public release of a detailed roster showing all Itsekiri beneficiaries who have been trained by the PAP to date.

Additionally, the group is asking for a formal investigation into the allegations of bias and office abuse leveled against Chief. Otuaro. Beyond ethnic grievances, they are also calling for an increase in the monthly stipend for all ex-agitators, raising it from the current ₦66,000 to better match today’s rising cost of living.

"The Presidential Amnesty Programme was designed to bring peace, equity, and development to all impacted communities in the Niger Delta," the group stated. "It is not the exclusive birthright of Dennis Otuaro or the Gbaramatu clan. The Administrator is meant to be a servant of all 30,000 ex-agitators, not a lord over the region."

While emphasizing their commitment to peaceful advocacy and formal petitions, the Warri Reclamation Thrust warned that their patience is wearing thin. They cautioned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the NSA that if these warnings are ignored and a breakdown of law and order occurs in the region, the responsibility will rest entirely on the authorities who failed to act.