-- Dr. Otuaro Embodies Peace and Progress in Niger Delta --
Under the humid skies of Abuja, a coalition of former Niger Delta agitators assembled in a determined show of unity and purpose. Microphones crackled and cameras whirred as the Niger Delta Ex-Agitators Forum (Phase 3) convened a world press briefing to put the record straight regarding what they described as “wicked and malicious” allegations against Dr. Otuaro, the Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP).
Speaking with fiery resolve, the group condemned accusations posted on Facebook on December 6th by social media critic Jude Gbaboyor, who, according to them, had accused Dr. Otuaro of heinous crimes including murder, ritualism, kidnapping, and terrorism financing. These allegations, the ex-agitators insisted, were born not of truth, but of bitterness and the crumbling edifice of personal vendetta. “We want to reaffirm for the world to know,” the spokesperson declared, “that Jude Gbaboyor is a disgraced, bitter and resentful former staff of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, sacked for his involvement in the looting of the agency's Bayelsa warehouse and other unwholesome practices.”
As the air thickened with palpable indignation, the speakers pressed forward, drawing battle lines not just against falsehood but against what they framed as an orchestrated propaganda war. “Jude Gbaboyor’s relentless attacks on Dr. Otuaro are being fueled by a disgruntled former militant leader, Chief Ebikabowei Victor-Ben, who is bitter that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu chose a more qualified technocrat to pilot the Amnesty Office,” they argued, painting the accusations as strands in a web spun for political mischief.
They did not mince words when describing the alleged crimes pinned on Dr. Otuaro. “The lies that Dr. Otuaro is involved in criminal activities like kidnapping, murder, human trafficking and terrorism financing,” one of the leaders asserted, “are not only baseless and unfounded but malicious, callous and wicked—especially as this act of blackmail is coming from a fellow kinsman.” With the cadence of a seasoned orator, he called on Nigerians and the international community to treat the allegations like chaff in the wind, swept away by the tides of truth.
Ratcheting up the rhetoric, the Forum accused Gbaboyor of being “a fugitive” who fled the country after both the Nigeria Police Force and the Office of the National Security Adviser summoned him to present evidence for his explosive claims. “He has been accused of cyberstalking and criminal intimidation after making several outrageous and unsubstantiated claims,” the group said, calling on the Federal Government to initiate extradition proceedings to haul him back to Nigeria for trial. “This action,” they insisted, “will act as a deterrent to several others who may wish to engage in propaganda and blackmail against hardworking citizens and government officials.”
Yet the gathering’s grievances did not end there. Turning to political institutions, the speakers voiced profound disappointment at what they described as harassment by the Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives. Just days prior, on December 9th, the committee had given Dr. Otuaro and his team a seven-day ultimatum to respond to purported discrepancies in the audit of N26 billion in Amnesty Programme funds. In the Forum’s view, this move was “deeply unfair” and perilously close to legitimizing false narratives. “The Auditor-General’s audit report being cited does not relate to the current administration led by Dr. Otuaro,” one representative said, linking the probe to “continued falsehood” spread by those with ulterior motives.
They warned that such conduct could fray the fabric of public confidence in Nigeria’s lawmakers. The Forum urged parliamentary leaders to proceed with impartiality and wisdom “so as not to discredit the achievements of Dr. Otuaro and his team” who, they noted, have maintained transparency, prudence, and accountability in managing Amnesty funds since his appointment by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
In deliberate tones meant to resonate beyond the walls of the press hall, speakers recounted Dr. Otuaro’s accomplishments: timely payment of monthly stipends to beneficiaries, scholarships for Niger Delta youths, leadership development programmes, capacity building for skill acquisition, and expansion of the Amnesty mandate to include impacted women and youth. These, they proclaimed, are the fruits of a steady hand committed to peace and progress—a stark counterpoint to the swamp of allegations swirling around him.
As the briefing drew to a close, the Niger Delta Ex-Agitators Forum (Phase 3) reaffirmed their “unalloyed support” to the Federal Government under President Tinubu and their determination to back Dr Otuaro in sustaining peace and development initiatives in the region. In the words of one impassioned member: “We stand firm against the winds of falsehood, and for the beacon of truth that Dr. Otuaro represents.”
In the end, their message was clear—a rallying cry against what they saw as a campaign of calumny, wrapped in the garb of social media outrage and political maneuvering. Under the glint of camera flashes and the weight of their words, they sought to anchor Dr.Otuaro’s name not in the mire of rumor but in the calm waters of integrity and service, a figure sailing steadfast through the turbulence of Niger Delta politics.
EBIKABOWEI KEDIKUMO - writes from Ayakoromo Town, Delta State
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