By Chuks Peter, DELTA
Dennis Otuaro, the administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, has urged former agitators enrolled in the programme to avoid actions that could compromise peace and security in the Niger Delta.
Speaking over the weekend in Warri, Delta State, during a stakeholders’ meeting, Otuaro explained the importance of maintaining the region’s stability.
The meeting, themed “Fostering, Consolidating, and Collaborating for the Peace, Security, Stability, and Development of the Niger Delta,” had stakeholders to discuss the future of the region.
Otuaro called on them to consolidate the successes of the Amnesty Programme to prevent the Niger Delta from relapsing into the conflicts and violence experienced before the amnesty.
“Sustaining the peace and security of the Niger Delta is the mandate of the Amnesty Programme, and we must do this for our communities, our children, and their children,” Otuaro stated.
He noted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is deeply committed to the peace and security of the Niger Delta.
Otuaro stated the positive impacts of the programme, noting that many delegates and beneficiaries from affected communities have received quality training and developed high-level skills in diverse fields.
“Today, several are gainfully employed as air traffic controllers, flight instructors, aircraft maintenance engineers, pilots, and underwater welders.
“Others have also been trained and empowered through the Programme and are excelling in various trades such as fashion design, unisex salons, fish farming, baking and confectionery, rice production, hairdressing, and the cement and building materials industry,” he said.
Furthermore, Otuaro praised the academic achievements of the Programme’s scholarship students, who have attained First Class and Second Class Upper degrees in various courses, including Medical and Clinical Sciences, both domestically and internationally.
He affirmed his leadership’s commitment to sustaining this trajectory of academic excellence, which has been widely recognised and applauded by individuals and organisations across the region and the country.
The Amnesty Programme continues to play a critical role in fostering peace and development in the Niger Delta, ensuring that the region does not revert to its troubled past.
