The new head of the Presidential Amnesty Office, Dr. Dennis Otuaro, has begun working at the agency’s main office in Abuja.
He replaced Maj-Gen. Barry Ndiomu (retd.) who was chosen by former President Muhammadu Buhari on September 15, 2022.
President Bola Tinubu approved the appointment of Otuaro as the administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme on Thursday.
The Amnesty Programme was created and signed into law in 2009 to reduce unrest, protest, and damage to oil-processing facilities in Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta region.
The goal was to disarm, deactivate, and reintegrate former protestors into society.
The Technical Assistant to the former interim administrator, Ita Henshaw, transferred the responsibilities to Otuaro in a brief ceremony at the PAP Office in Abuja on Monday.
Speaking, Otuaro promised to uphold the trust given to him by Tinubu and the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
He said his purpose in the Presidential Amnesty Office was to provide excellent service to the Niger Delta region and the nation, and emphasized that there would be no room for failure.
Otuaro encouraged the staff to stay focused and cooperate with him to advance the office, and also assured that he was not there for personal gain while urging the staff to adopt his principles.
“I need everyone’s cooperation here to elevate this program. My request is that from today, we should focus on the task. I need everyone’s support so we don’t let down the President, the NSA, the people of the Niger Delta, and Nigeria as a whole.
“I have faith in this country. My allegiance is to this country, and also to the Niger Delta.
“We will simplify anything that we find is hindering us and causing excuses, we must simplify some things, and we’ll work together,” he said.
