PRESS STATEMENT
By: Victor Occasion, Chairman, Ex-Agitators Genuine Leaders of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP)
Date: May 10, 2025
Re: Baseless Allegations Against the Amnesty Programme and Dr. Dennis Otuaro – A Distraction by Paid Agents
The Genuine Leaders of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) wish to categorically condemn the false and politically motivated allegations published by Aljazirah News on May 10, 2025. The article, sponsored by a faceless group known as the Niger Delta Liberators and Ex-Agitators Forum (NDLEF), seeks to tarnish the image of Dr. Dennis Brutus Otuaro, the newly appointed Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs and Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme.
We find these allegations to be completely unfounded, malicious, and clearly driven by individuals and interests unsettled by the wave of transparency and reform now sweeping through the Amnesty Programme under Dr. Otuaro’s leadership.
Since his appointment, Dr. Otuaro has wasted no time in introducing far-reaching and people-oriented reforms that reflect a clear break from the opaque practices of the past. Among his early achievements are:
- Transparent Scholarship Deployment – Instituting a fair, digital-based system to ensure accountability in educational support.
- Vocational and Skills Development – Empowering ex-agitators with relevant skills and entrepreneurial training for long-term self-sufficiency.
- Stakeholder Engagement – Personally engaging with authentic ex-agitators and community leaders to listen, assess, and act on ground-level needs.
- Human-Centered Leadership – Putting people first by restoring dignity and purpose to the lives of beneficiaries.
- Laptop Support for Final-Year Students – A landmark initiative aimed at boosting academic productivity and digital readiness.
It is on record that these initiatives have restored hope and integrity to the Amnesty Programme in record time, and they stand as a testament to Dr. Otuaro’s capacity, clarity of vision, and commitment to service.
The so-called NDLEF is an unrecognized and unstable group with no credibility or representation among genuine ex-agitators. Their publication reeks of desperation, driven by those who thrived in the shadows of past mismanagement and now seek to derail progress.
We urge all beneficiaries of the Amnesty Programme and the wider Niger Delta community to ignore this calculated distraction. Instead, let us consolidate the gains already being made under this new, reform-driven administration.
We reaffirm our total support for Dr. Dennis Otuaro and commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for appointing a capable, results-oriented leader who is already delivering tangible change.
Signed:
Victor Occasion
Chairman, Ex-Agitators Genuine Leaders of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP).
