IPDI Fires Back at Critics, Defends Otuaro’s Leadership of Amnesty Programme
A prominent Niger Delta advocacy group, the Ijaw People’s Development Initiative (IPDI), has strongly defended the Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Chief Dennis Otuaro, against what it described as “baseless allegations, reckless insinuations, and politically motivated attacks” by faceless groups seeking to discredit the programme.
In a strongly worded statement signed by its National President, Amb. Comrade Ozobo Austin, the group dismissed claims allegedly made by a group identified as the “Niger Delta Stakeholders Forum and Niger Delta Ethnic Nationalities,” insisting that the accusations against the PAP management lacked credibility, evidence, and legal substance.
The IPDI said it was compelled to respond in order to “set the record straight” and protect the integrity of the Amnesty Programme, which it noted remains a critical peace-building institution in the Niger Delta region.
According to the group, the Presidential Amnesty Programme operates under strict federal financial regulations and remains subject to routine audits by relevant government agencies, including the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation and the Federal Ministry of Finance.
The statement stressed that all payments and disbursements under the programme, ranging from stipends and educational sponsorships to vocational training and contractual obligations, are processed through the Treasury Single Account (TSA) with verifiable documentation.
“It is important to state clearly that the PAP welcomes constructive criticism and lawful scrutiny at all times. However, linking allegations to individuals without proof amounts to media trial and undermines due process,” the group stated.
Defending the leadership of Chief Dennis Otuaro, IPDI maintained that the PAP Administrator has sustained a commendable record of financial accountability since assuming office.
The group further claimed that no anti-corruption agency has received any formal petition backed with verifiable evidence against Otuaro over alleged financial misconduct.
On the controversy surrounding the monthly stipend paid to ex-agitators, the advocacy body clarified that the N65,000 allowance is determined by the national budget and can only be reviewed through constitutional budgetary procedures involving both the Presidency and the National Assembly.
The group noted that PAP management has repeatedly conveyed the economic concerns of beneficiaries to the appropriate authorities amid rising living costs across the country.
IPDI also faulted claims that increased budgetary allocations to the programme were being diverted while stipends remained stagnant.
According to the statement, recent increases in the PAP budget were tied to expanded reintegration initiatives, overseas and local educational sponsorships, vocational training programmes, skills acquisition schemes, and infrastructural support for training centres across the Niger Delta.
The group described allegations that the Amnesty Office “kidnaps and detains delegates” as false, malicious, and defamatory.
“PAP has no security or paramilitary mandate and does not operate detention facilities anywhere. Any matter involving law enforcement agencies is entirely outside the jurisdiction of the Programme,” the statement added.
IPDI challenged the accusers to provide concrete details, including names, locations, and dates, to enable proper legal investigation of such serious allegations.
Reacting to claims of selective empowerment and alleged “500 per cent payment increases” to certain leaders and contractors, the group insisted that all payments were guided by pre-existing contractual agreements and due process mechanisms.
It argued that no individual or ex-agitator camp had received arbitrary increases without contractual justification, describing the allegations as deliberate attempts to sow discord among beneficiaries.
The group further applauded the current PAP leadership for expanding inclusiveness through the verification and capture of previously omitted beneficiaries into the programme.
Reaffirming the neutrality of the Amnesty Programme, the IPDI emphasized that PAP was established under the 2009 Presidential Amnesty Declaration as a peace-building mechanism aimed at disarmament, demobilisation, and reintegration of former agitators.
It insisted that the office does not engage in political intimidation, victimisation, or exclusion of stakeholders, adding that engagements with ex-agitator leaders and community structures are solely based on peace-building responsibilities and reintegration objectives.
“The PAP under Chief Dennis Otuaro remains committed to transparency, fairness, and the core mandate of sustaining peace in the Niger Delta. Campaigns of calumny and politically charged propaganda will not help the region,” the statement noted.
The group urged stakeholders to channel grievances through lawful and established communication channels rather than resorting to public attacks capable of destabilising the fragile peace in the region.
IPDI therefore called on members of the public and beneficiaries of the programme to disregard what it termed “flimsy, misleading, and unsubstantiated allegations” being circulated by unnamed groups against the PAP leadership.
