From Joseph Obukata, Warri
The Centre for Human Rights and Anti-Corruption Crusade (CHURAC), has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s appointment of Chief (Dr.) Dennis Otuaro as the Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), describing it as the best decision for the Niger Delta people.
In a press statement signed by Alaowei, Cleric Ebikonbowei, Esq., Chairman of the Board of Trustees of CHURAC, on Sunday, the group praised the appointment, stating that Otuaro is a square peg in a square hole, with a proven track record as a field player in the Niger Delta struggle.
CHURAC dismissed calls for Otuaro’s sack as the ranting of disgruntled minds, sponsored by power players who should sheath their swords and support the new Administrator to achieve the Programme’s objectives.
The group noted that Otuaro’s appointment has received widespread acceptance across the Niger Delta region, signaling a new era of peace and progress.
The statement reads: “The appointment of Chief (Dr.) Dennis Otuaro as the Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is the best thing Mr. President has done for the Niger Delta people. Chief Dennis Otuaro PhD is not only a square peg in a square hole, this is the second time someone who was part of the agitation is being appointed to coordinate the affairs of the ex agitators.
“When Hon. Kingsley Kuku occupied in that office, we knew the innovations he had brought to the Programme to cement the peace in the region. We had no doubt that Kingsley Kuku recorded such enviable milestones because he was an active player of the Niger Delta emancipation struggle. Of course, the Programme has lost touch with the reality of its foundational agenda because successive occupiers after Kuku were products of political inventions.
“President Tinubu has just done the noble thing by appointing once again, a field player of the legendary Niger Delta struggle. We have no doubt that the Amnesty Programme will rebounce back to its foundational realities with Chief Dennis Otuaro on the driver’s seat. What he requires from sane minds is to support him and Mr. President to achieve the lofty objectives of the Programme.
“Power players should sheath their swords now. Everybody interested in that office cannot be appointed at the same time. Chief Dennis Otuaro is the man onboard. Those who are sponsoring some malnourished willing tools to hold some misfortune press conferences against the choice of Chief Dennis Otuaro may need to grant themselves amnesty of the conscience.
“There’s no known group called Coalition of Civil Society Groups in the Niger Delta region. While individuals or group of persons are constitutionally empowered to come together to express their minds on issues, expression of minds by some marauding stomach hustlers against the collective interest of the larger society is akin to abusing the constitutional privileges of free speech.
“We therefore urge Mr. President to disregard the ranting of the few naysayers who sponsored some motor pack touts and political urchins to do a hatchet job. All protests and innuendos against the well considered appointment of Chief Dennis Otuaro are clear expressions of warped and disgruntled minds, designed to distract Mr. President and the already working PAP Administrator.
“It’s a public manifestation that the appointment of Chief Dennis Otuaro as the new Amnesty Boss was greeted with wild jubilations across the length and breath of the Niger Delta region. This is first of its own kind in the history of this Programme and it thus, signaled a signpost that the appointment has general and broader acceptance by the people of the region.
“On this note. We want to thank and appreciate President Tinubu for making this popular choice of Chief Dennis Otuaro as the PAP Boss. We therefore urge the new Administrator to leverage on the popular trust reposed on him to finish strong. He should not be distracted by the sponsored protests staged by stomach hustlers. The entire body of the ex-agitators and indeed, the Niger Delta people are solidly behind you”.