The National Chairman of Phase II of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Kingsley Muturu, has appealed to the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Administrator of the PAP, Chief Dennis Brutus Otuaro, to consider farming and other agro-based enterprises for ex-militants to ensure that the Niger Delta region enjoys peace, stability, development and food security.
Mr Muturu stated this shortly after an ongoing meeting with stakeholders of the Niger Delta region, themed, “Fostering, Consolidating, and Collaborating for the Peace, Security, Stability, and Development of the Niger Delta,” where they agreed that the move will save the region from subsequent food shortage and consumption.
At the meeting which is comprised of ex-agitators drawn from Phases 1, 2, 3 and other critical stakeholders, Mr. Muturu passed a vote of confidence on the President of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu for finding Chief Otuaro worthy to head the Amnesty Programme, adding that he is the kind of Administrator the office needed at this time.
The group of ex-agitators appealed to the PAP to resume its foreign educational scholarship scheme to afford youths of the Niger Delta Region to have access to tertiary education which was abruptly halted by two previous Administrators of the Programme.
Muturu noted, “We want to employ this means to appeal to you to consider farming and other agro-based enterprises in your dispensation. This becomes imperative, having assessed the essentiality of it in the present economic harsh ship. Our people are not into farming. Today, the rate of starvation is very high in the region compared with other regions.
“The PAP can achieve this by mobilizing our people particularly the women on agro-based training and further provide farm inputs for them to venture into farming. This will save the region from subsequent food shortages and consumption in the region.
“What he did, no Administrator has done that before, as all the past Administrators that they have appointed, as soon as they come into the hall like this, they will walk straight to the high table with strong faces, because they are retired military men, who see themselves as gods.
“With this first impression, he has melted my heart. Otuaro is a pure fit for the programme and with him the presidential Amnesty Programme is in the right direction and will achieve the mandate of which the programme was established by the founding fathers” he noted.
The peace ambassador further stressed, “I and my team will do everything humanly possible to make sure Otuaro succeed in this Programme, for his tenure there will be no protest of any kind, no media maligning of any sort, no petition of what so ever. issues will and must be addressed timely before they escalate, the man Otuaro is confident and true to his words and we are ready to work with him.”
At the meeting, Otuaro, while addressing the ex-agitators, said they can’t be fighting over N65,000 while having grandchildren, “you are the owners of the Programme and will be my priority. Anything you tell me to do, I will do it. the president has given me the assurance That anything we ask him, he will do. If we put our house in order, I will consult stakeholders for any scholarship,” he noted.
John Esuku, the National vice Chairman of Phase 2, promised to work in oneness with Muturu to achieve the aims of Dennis Otuaro. Also, the National secretary Of Phase II, Gen. Master Okoria, thanked the Administrator for his good work and promised to follow the leadership of Muturu to make sure the Administrator succeeded in his office.
Others in the Phase 2 National Executive who were part of the meeting include; Gen. Gift Agamene, National PRO, Gen. Collins Arigo the National Speaker, Gen. Otonye Suopre, National Treasurer, Gen. Solomon Adu, Delta state Chairman, Gen. Paul Johnson, phase 2 Bayelsa state Chairman and Gen. Passman Akpos, Phase 2 Bayelsa state Secretary.