From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Immediate past national spokesman of the Ijaw Youths Council Worldwide and national leader of the Niger Delta Advocacy Group, New Era Movement, Comrade Ebilade Ekerefe has slammed those behind the calls for the removal of the Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Chief Dr. Dennis Otuaro barely two months upon assumption into office.
He declared that such shameful calls have become a profitable venture orchestrated by crisis merchants in the Niger Delta region.
According to Ekerefe, while genuine calls could be channeled to the relevant office within the Presidential Amnesty Office for solutions, these incessant and parochial calls for sack of Amnesty administrators have become a disturbing and unnecessary weapon used by those not accredited as beneficiaries of the programme to blackmail and extort the office.
Ekerefe, in a solidarity message to Otuaro, called on him to remain focused and not be distracted by mischievous calls to oust him, but rather concentrate on expanding the frontiers of the Amnesty program by initiating policies and programs that will better the lots of the beneficiaries and forestall any reoccurrence of violence agitation in the Niger delta region.
He urged the PAP boss to use his vast experience in the liberation struggle to run an all-inclusive administration, pay attention to wise counsel and be wary of sycophants whose primary interest is to curry personal favour.
“I therefore join my voice to thank Mr President for appointing Chief Dr Denis Otuaro as a substantive coordinator of the amnesty program, while appealing to those who feel disgruntled to accept the reality and join hands with the new henchman to move the program forward.”
“It has become a recurring decimal that at every slightest opportunity, there are calls for removal of Amnesty bosses either in national publications or threat for protests. This is disheartening and it is totally unacceptable.”
“The energy used for incessant calls for the sack of Coordinators should rather be deployed to calls for improved funding of the program in view of the current economic realities if they mean well for the region.”
“Those whom have taking such calls as their stock in trade should desist from this old fashion style of blackmailing PAP coordinators to gain favour and recognition” he said.
However, to consolidate on the gains of successive administrators of the program, Ekerefe however called on Dr. Dennis Otuaro to take a review of some policies initiated by his predecessor’s which are impactful to the beneficiaries of PAP and stakeholders of the region
He pointed out the Aviation Resuscitation Programme for Cadet Pilots and Aircraft Maintenance Engineers, the periodic town hall interactive meetings with PAP beneficiaries and stakeholders of the region and Presidential Amnesty Cooperative Society Limited (PAPCOSOL) which if reviewed and expanded will create economic livelihood of the beneficiaries.