He came like the morning sun stretching its golden fingers across the calm waters,
carrying a lantern of compassion to light the paths of the people.
With steady feet and a warm heart,
Chief Dr. Dennis Burutu Otuaro stepped into the seat of leadership in the Presidential Amnesty Programme,
and became the gardener of hopes,
watering the dreams of youth, women, widows, and ex-agitators
until they began to bloom in the soil of possibility.
In the classroom of vision, he was the headmaster of change.
Scholarship opportunities grew from 1,700 to 2,500,
spreading like rivers into every part of the Niger Delta
and touching students from many ethnic groups and states.
A hundred young souls learned the language of the sea,
training in maritime skills to steer ships and build careers.
Four pilots received their wings in faraway South Africa,
forty-five trained in aviation engineering until they could work with the engines of the sky.
In workshops and training centers,
he gave ex-agitators tools for building instead of tools for destruction,
turning restless waves into calm waters.
He remembered the women...
those silent pillars who carried the weight of stormy days,
whose tears mingled with the rivers during the years of agitation.
For the first time since the birth of the amnesty programme,
he invited them into the council of decision-makers.
Seven hundred and eighty mothers stepped into the arena
one thousand three hundred and eighty-nine women trained for trades,
and a thousand found the gift of economic empowerment,
earning to feed their homes and nurture their children.
He gave them strength for their hands,
confidence for their hearts,
and peace for their communities.
His plans are like heavy fruits hanging from the tree of tomorrow,
each one ready to feed the land with progress.
Vocational skills for the unemployed young men and women,
computer training for the rural youth
so they can pass exams and climb the ladder of education,
grants for mothers to strengthen the fires in their kitchen and the smiles in their homes.
Craft centers to awaken talents sleeping in idle hands,
agriculture projects to make the women of the Delta
farmers, fishers, and business owners in their own right.
Leadership training for ex-agitators and community guardians,
unity woven into every initiative so no one is left behind.
And above all, programmes to keep the youth away from drugs and the trap of hopelessness,
replacing weakness with the dignity of work.
He wears compassion like a royal robe,
his crown is the trust of the people,
his idea is the transformation he brings to their lives.
He serves not for self,
but for the fisherman’s child who dreams of becoming a pilot,
for the widow who needs a lamp when her night is long,
for the ex-agitator who now wants nothing more than a hammer and nails and tools to build a future.
Dr. Otuaro, you are the guiding light in the creeks,
the captain whose boat is filled not with cargo but with hope,
the farmer who plants peace in the heart of the Delta,
the bridge that connects dreams to reality.
Your name rolls in the wind like a sweet song heard at sunrise,
and your works are written in the waters where they will never wash away.
May the seas be gentle under your oars,
may the stars keep watch over your journey,
and may your vision reach the shore of fulfilment without delay.
We, the people of the Niger Delta,
stand in your tide with voices of gratitude,
clapping our hands like the drums of celebration,
sending praises to the high heavens
and thanks to the deep waters that carry your light.
For as long as the mangroves stand guard at our shores
and the rivers kiss the land with gifts of life,
your story will live in the hearts of our children’s children,
and your name will be spoken like a prayer,
Dr. -- the beacon that guides our way.
EBIKABOWEI KEDIKUMO - writes from Ayakoromo Town, Delta State
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