The Niger Delta, long a region scarred by years of conflict and marginalization, once found hope in the Presidential Amnesty Programme, a governmental initiative established to rehabilitate ex-agitators and foster peace. However, under the current stewardship of Dennis Otuaro, the programme has morphed into a dictatorship, threatening to undo the fragile peace that many in the region have fought hard to maintain.

Otuaro’s appointment initially sparked optimism among ex-agitators and stakeholders, who believed he would steer the programme toward genuine development and welfare. Yet, within a short span, it became glaring that his true intentions lay elsewhere. Instead of serving the interests of the region, Otuaro centralized power around his family and cronies, turning what was meant to be a rehabilitative effort into a personal empire.

Sources reveal that Otuaro began by favoring members from his community, sending individuals abroad for education and training without broader stakeholder consultation. More alarmingly, he reportedly exploited the programme’s funds, creating a web of corruption involving fake companies and siphoning over 500 billion naira from the Amnesty purse. This misappropriation has prompted investigations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), with a group of concerned stakeholders dragging him into the anti-corruption agency over allegations of theft, misconduct, and abuse of funds. 

See link ( Group urges Tinubu to sack PAP boss Otuaro for EFCC probe )

https://guardian.ng/news/group-urges-tinubu-to-sack-pap-boss-otuaro-for-efcc-probe/

Despite a significant increase in the Amnesty Programme’s budget from 65 billion naira to 151 billion naira—an adjustment made by President Tinubu to support the region’s ex-agitators, allowing them better livelihoods—Otuaro has refused requests for increased stipends. Instead, he has mounted a campaign to expand the programme’s membership, allegedly to facilitate further siphoning of funds, rather than addressing the welfare concerns of the original beneficiaries.

The ex-agitators, represented by the Reformed Niger Delta Ex-Agitators, have vocally called for improved stipends and welfare. However, Otuaro has responded with repression. When their chairman, Owus Owupele, began to push for better support, he was swiftly arrested. The authorities, under Otuaro’s influence, accused Owupele of nonexistent crimes and detained him, effectively silencing the voices demanding social justice.

This crackdown has further entrenched fears of oppression. Owus Owupele has never been proven guilty of wrongdoing; yet, Otuaro’s use of state security agencies to intimidate and incarcerate a leader of the ex-agitator community symbolizes a broader pattern of tyranny. By suppressing legitimate agitation, Otuaro seeks to maintain his grip on power and shields the programme’s funds from scrutiny.

Otuaro’s leadership has become emblematic of a broader phenomenon: the rise of a political strongman in the Niger Delta, turning a regional peace initiative into a family business. His associates—politicians, family members, and hired gunmen—are now beneficiaries of the funds initially allocated for those who paid the ultimate price during the region’s struggles. Reports also state that he has sponsored young men, not original ex-agitators, to intimidate and intimidate those still fighting for their rights—men who have no genuine stake in the region's liberation but serve as tools to quell dissent.

The region’s history teaches us that no man’s power is eternal. Power, like all things, is transient. The current occupants of influential positions are merely custodians for a fleeting moment—destined to fall like their predecessors and rise again with the demands of history. 

It is a call to conscience and justice that President Tinubu promptly intervenes. The nation must step in before the current regime’s greed and repression unravel the peace painstakingly built over years. The targeting of genuine ex-agitators and the theft of resources that should serve their welfare threaten the socio-political fabric of the Niger Delta.

As Freeman Agalabiri, an ex-agitator himself, reminds us, those who oppress the people often fall from grace. Those siphoning funds and suppressing rightful voices are, ultimately, subject to the impermanence of power. Justice and true peace in the Niger Delta depend on holding these oppressors accountable and restoring the programme’s original mandate: genuine rehabilitation, fair welfare, and lasting peace.  

The future of the Niger Delta depends on whether those in power recognize that no man, regardless of how high he climbs, is invincible. Tyranny withers, and history remembers only the just.