The Chief Executive Officer (C.E.O) NAIJA LIVE TV, Saint Meipanmo Onitsha, commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the appointment of Chief Dennis Otuaro as the new Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) for Niger Delta Ex-agitators.
Saint Miepanmo also congratulate Chief Dennis Otuaro, the newly appointed Amnesty boss, expressing optimism that the programme will have a face lift under his administration.
The Chief Executive Officer (C.E.O) NAIJA LIVE TV, Saint Meipanmo Onitsha, who is also Niger Delta Activist and beneficiary of the Presidential amnesty Programme, noted that the reason for the amnesty programme has not been achieved based on poor performance of successive Interim administrators in tackling the retraining and reintegration of the former Ex-Agitators back to the society.
“I want to specifically thank H.E, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for appointing an insider of the Presidential Amnesty Program in the person of Chief Dennis Otuaro as Administrator of PAP”.
He noted that “Amnesty was granted to the Niger Delta ex-militants to promote peace and reconciliation in the region. It was a way to address the grievances and find a peaceful resolution.
“The amnesty programme which played a significant role in bringing peace to the Niger Delta region was designed to provide the former militants with the opportunity to lay down their arms, renounce violence, and reintegrate them into the society.
“Through this programme, they were to be given vocational training, educational opportunities, and financial support to start a new life. This helped to reduce the level of violence and instability in the region, fostering a more peaceful environment for everyone.
“But successive interim administrators has failed in this regard. Instead of empowering them, delegates names were wrongly delisted from the Program for no reason.”
The Bayelsa born blogger urged the new Administrator to come up with measures that will reinstate the over 3,000 illegally delisted delegates of the Programme for the interest of unity and oneness.
“The Activists believe that Chief Dennis Otuaro as a PhD holder in Comparative Politics & Development Studies; MSc in Public Administration, and a BSc in Education will know-how to this role to revamp the Amnesty Programme and advance the realization of its founding purpose and vision.”
Recall that the NAIJA LIVE TV CEO, Onitsha, among many other beneficiaries, was incarcerated in Kuje prison early October, 2023, by the immediate past Administration of PAP due to his demands for the right measures to be put in place for ex-agitators by the Amnesty office.
The incarceration led the Africa Head, Committee for Protecting Journalists (CPJ), Angela Quintal, in New York, said “Saint Mienpamo Onitsha was detained for nearly four months simply for doing his job, which should never be considered a crime.”