Amnesty administrator calls on ex-agitators to sustain N’Delta peace

The Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Dennis Otuaro, has called on ex-agitators to avoid anything that could undermine peace and security in the Niger Delta.

Otuaro encouraged the ex-agitators to foster a peaceful and secure environment in the Niger Delta, stressing that their cooperation was crucial to achieving the goals of the Presidential Amnesty Programme and ensuring the region’s stability.

The administrator made the call at a stakeholders’ meeting with former agitators in Warri, Delta State, on Saturday with the theme: “Fostering, Consolidating, and Collaborating for the Peace, Security, Stability, and Development of the Niger Delta.”

Igoniko Oduma, his Special Assistant on Media, said in a statement on Sunday that participants at the meeting included leaders from all phases of the Presidential Amnesty Programme.

Otuaro emphasised that all stakeholders in the region must work towards this goal and consolidate the success of the Amnesty Programme to prevent the Niger Delta from relapsing into the pre-amnesty years of serious conflicts and violence, which negatively impacted the region and the country.

“Sustaining the peace and security of the Niger Delta is the mandate of the Amnesty Programme, and we must do this for our communities, our children, and their children,” Otuaro said.

Otuaro noted that the PAP was an opportunity for the people of the region which, if well leveraged, could help to resolve some of the challenges of the Niger Delta, especially human capital development.

“The President is very serious about the peace and security of the Niger Delta region,” he said.

He comfirm that despite its lean budget, the PAP has made significant achievements. “Many delegates and beneficiaries from our impacted communities have received quality training and high-level manpower skills in diverse fields of human endeavours.

“Today, several are gainfully employed as air traffic controllers, flight instructors, aircraft maintenance engineers, pilots, and underwater welders.

“Others have also been trained and empowered through the programme and are doing very well in various trades such as fashion design, unisex salon, fish farming, baking and confectionery, rice production, hairdressing, cement, and building materials.

“In addition, several PAP scholarship students have made first-class and second-class upper grades in different courses of study, including Medical and Clinical Sciences, in universities at home and abroad. My leadership is committed to sustaining this trajectory of academic excellence, which is being applauded by well-meaning individuals and organizations across the region and indeed the country,” Otuaro said.