National chairman of Amnesty Phase 3, Godstime Ogidigba, yesterday stated that peace in Niger Delta is at risk without support for the administrator, Presidential Amnesty Programme, Chief Dennis Otuaro.
He also raised fresh concerns over lingering challenges facing the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), including the N65,000 monthly stipend, BVN-related payment issues, leadership and vocational training gaps, as well as rising protests and petitions against the amnesty office.
Ogidigba, who spoke while reacting to recent agitations within the Niger Delta declared that the amnesty programme lost direction after the exit of former coordinator, Kingsley Kuku, alleging that successive administrators were appointed with the intent to undermine or scrap the programme.
He accused past leaderships of incompetence and neglect, claiming that critical components such as overseas scholarships and proper beneficiary engagement were abandoned for years.
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"The amnesty programme derailed immediately Hon. Kingsley Kuku left office. For almost a decade, incompetent hands handled the programme. Some were appointed to scrap it, some romanced with it, and others stopped sending students to universities," Ogidigba said.
He further alleged that during this period, some leaders diverted huge sums meant for genuine beneficiaries, leaving ex-agitators and students stranded.
However, Ogidigba said the narrative changed with the appointment of Chief Dennis Otuaro as Administrator, describing him as "a product of the struggle" who restored credibility and momentum to the programme.
"When Chief Dennis Otuaro came in, he met less than 100 students on scholarship. Today, we have over 4,000 students studying both locally and internationally. Leaders' training is ongoing, laptops are being distributed, and empowerment is gradually returning. This shows capacity and commitment," he said.
Ogidigba appealed to the amnesty administrator to increase the number of leaders admitted into training and proposed that leadership and vocational programmes should run concurrently to fast-track empowerment.
He urged all stakeholders to embrace peace and support the current administration.
"We can only achieve this if we give peace a chance. I call on amnesty leaders, beneficiaries, stakeholders and political groups to rally support for Chief Dennis Otuaro to sustain peace in the Niger Delta," he said.
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