Tonye Dennis Amadiowei & Denis Otuaro
A foremost Niger Delta youth leader and advocate of regional development, Mr. Tonye Dennis Amadiowei, has strongly condemned the 72-hour ultimatum issued by the House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to the Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Chief Dr. Dennis Brutu Otuaro, describing it as a calculated and well-orchestrated attempt to tarnish the image, reputation and personality of the PAP boss.
Speaking during a press interaction at the Nigeria Daily Chronicles office, Amadiowei said the ultimatum was hasty, politically motivated and capable of undermining the fragile peace currently enjoyed in the Niger Delta.
According to him, the decision by the House Committee to rely on a 2021 audit report to scrutinise an administrator who assumed office in 2024 raises serious concerns about fairness, due process and motive.
“It is illogical and unjust to hold Chief Dr. Dennis Brutu Otuaro accountable for an audit conducted several years before his appointment. This is not oversight; it is a deliberate attempt to discredit a man who is delivering results,” Amadiowei said.
He described Otuaro’s appointment as a round peg in a round hole, noting that the Niger Delta is witnessing significant gains under his leadership, particularly in youth reintegration, stakeholder engagement, improved relations among ex-agitators and host communities, and enhanced regional stability that has contributed to increased national oil production.
Tonye noted that these achievements stand in sharp contrast to the shortcomings of previous administrations, stressing that Otuaro’s track record is indelible and visible for all to see.
The youth leader warned that any move to intimidate or arrest the PAP Administrator could provoke unnecessary tension among ex-agitators and destabilise the oil-producing region, which remains critical to Nigeria’s economic survival.
He further alleged that the ultimatum appears to be part of a broader pattern of selective scrutiny and targeted aggression against Ijaw leaders and Niger Delta institutions, while individuals in other regions who openly sympathise with terrorists and bandits are not subjected to similar urgency by the Legislature.
He also pointed out that the only “offence” attributed to Otuaro so far is his sanitisation of the PAP payroll, a reform he said has blocked illicit benefits enjoyed by some individuals and triggered sponsored protests and petitions.
“As an advocate of Niger Delta development, I want to state clearly that the youths of the region will resist any calculated and well-planned attempt to tarnish the reputation of the PAP Administrator. Peace in the Niger Delta is not negotiable,” he declared.
He accused certain groups of attempting to rebrand themselves as ex-agitators to continue benefiting from the Amnesty Programme, despite having historically opposed Ijaw and Niger Delta development initiatives.
Tonye called on the National Assembly to exercise restraint and focus on more pressing national challenges such as insecurity, hunger, unemployment and economic hardship, rather than engaging in actions capable of undermining national stability.
He reaffirmed his support for Chief Dr. Dennis Brutu Otuaro, describing his leadership as pivotal to sustaining peace and development in the Niger Delta.
“The Niger Delta is benefiting from the Amnesty Programme today more than ever before. Any attempt to disrupt this progress is an attack on the region and, by extension, Nigeria’s economic future,” he said.
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