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[OPINION] OTUARO: Entrenching Enduring Peace In Niger Delta

Published

12 months ago

December 16, 2024

Editor

By Fidelis Soriwei

In March 2024, President Bola Tinubu left nobody in doubt about his plans to entrench enduring peace in the oil rich Niger Delta. He made the deliberate bold step to break away from the tradition of getting retired military personnel to preside over the affairs of the Presidential Amnesty Presidential, considered a strategic agency for peace sustenance in the Niger.

After a seemingly long process of consultations he came up with a decision many have described as a masterstroke. He appointed a young dynamic and vibrant advocate for peace and development in the Niger Delta, Dr Dennis Otuaro, to oversee the affair of the office.

With his appointment, President Tinubu also displayed his position to ensure that the Amnesty Office was given the deserved place of priority as a Federal Agency of serious relevant. In what many considered rightly to be a reassuring break from the practice of the past, he appointed Dr Otuaro as the administrator of the programme with an obvious intent to stabilize the office and allay earlier fears.

Those who were privileged to lead the office under the former Administration of President Mohammdu Buhari, Col Dixon Dikio and Gen Barry Ndiomu had the clausal uncertainty of ‘interim administrator’ to their position because of the then moves to scrap the agency which was roundly condemned accross the Niger Delta and by all lovers of Nigeria.

President Tinubu was emphatic about his quest for lasting peace in the Niger Delta when he announced Dr Otuaro as the Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Office.

The President’s decision was greeted with widespread celebration as the keen observers of the Niger Delta and its recent history of development go to town to assert the strong optimism that Dr Otuaro’s antecedents are too strong to fail the President and the Nigeria Delta. The hope of success was widespread.

First, Dr Otuaro is one leader who does not require any briefing about the agitations in the Niger Delta and events that built up to the granting Presidential Amnesty by the late Yar’Adua Administration and establishment of the agency. His passion for peace and development in the Niger Delta are beyond the realm of doubt. That he would do his best and make the region proud was not in contest.

On assumption of office in March 2024, he made it clear that his motivation was not to make money at the Amnesty Office but to ensure that the programme was made effective and returned to the people of the region in line with its founding objectives.

As a man with a burning desire to sustain a tradition of impact for which he is reputed, he opted to explore the vast advantages of stakeholders consultations for optimum benefits. This was expected as it was contained in his opening remarks while taking over the office in March. “I need everybody’s cooperation here to take this programme to greatness. As from today we should back the crowd and face the job. I need everyone’s cooperation so we don’t disappoint the President, the NSA, the people of the Niger Delta and Nigeria as a whole.”

He opened the effective consultation process with the visits to six partnering universities of the PAP in Edo, Delta, and Bayelsa States from May 7th to 11th, 2024. These universities are the Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo State; Benson Idahosa University, Edwin Clark University, Western Delta University, Michael and Cecilia Ibru University, and Bayelsa Medical University. His mission was to hear directly from the students under the PAP scholarship scheme with a view to addressing emergent issues and exploring new areas of cooperation to the benefit of the region. He was the first Administrator to take the initiative to visit the students in person in all the partnering institutions.

In June, he had productive consultative meetings with ex agitators and all the stakeholders of the Niger Delta in Warri Delta State. His gospel of peace resonated in the summit held with the theme”Fostering, Consolidating, and Collaborating for the Peace, Security, Stability, and Development of the Niger Delta.”

He urged the stakeholders to unite in the pursuit of peace, consolidate the success of the Amnesty Programme to prevent the Niger Delta from relapsing into the pre-amnesty years of serious conflicts and violence, and its negative impacts on the region and the country.

In September, Otuaro expanded the frontiers of consultations by engaging women across the Niger Delta in a summit in Warri with the theme “Niger Delta Women Empowerment: A Panacea for Peace, Stability and Economic Growth in The Region.”

He seized the opportunity to assure the women folks of his administration resolve to include more Niger Delta women who are an integral part of the consultation process, in the implementation of the PAP mandate. The meeting, the first of its kind, was part of an expanded Niger Delta stakeholders’ engagement by the PAP office with traditional rulers, opinion leaders, women group and youth bodies, among others.

The Conference was attended by frontline activist, AnnKio Briggs, former CNN African Reporter of the Year, Ibiba Don-Pedro, Beauty Warizowei, Primrose Kpokposei, Madam Godfrey Bebenimibo, Caroline Ene, Vero Smooth, Ghana Pondi, Rosemary Naingba-Oduone, Philomena Onukpuvie, Dr Beauty Agbaiboror, Tonbra Kilopirite, Dr Lolo Fubara Sax-Hailsham, and Rosebella Jackson.

Otuaro did not exclude the traditional institutions in the consultation process. He met with respected traditional rulers in the Niger Delta in a conference with the titled

‘Working Together for the Sustainable Peace, Security, Stability and Development in the Niger Delta’ where the royal fathers assured the President of their support with Otuaro’s style and administration.

The top monarchs expressed the hope that the Niger Delta would benefit from the President administration which appointed Otuaro and had shown positive signals of support to the region.

“We need to appreciate the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for finding our son worthy of that office and putting a square peg in a square hole. He (the president) should be rest assured of our full support.

“Having listened to the plans he has for us, from our own end, we will do everything necessary to ensure that Mr President succeeds. The developmental plan he has for the Niger Delta will be given the necessary support to ensure that it is executed, and our people will be the beneficiaries in the long run.

“We want to also assure you that you have our full support and the message should also be taken to Mr President we are in full support of all his developmental plans for the Niger Delta”,

These were the unanimous thought of the royal fathers of Tuomo kingdom, HRM King Justice F. F Tabai (retd); Kabowei kingdom, HRM King Peremobowei Erebulu; Agbon kingdom, HRM King Ogurimerime Ukori, CON; Akugebene-Mein kingdom, HRM King S.P Luke; and Ogulagha kingdom, HRM King Joseph Timiyan, and others.

In addition, Otuaro has had several private meetings with the top political leadership including the Ijaw National Leader, Pa Edwin Clark, former President Goodluck Jonathan, National Assembly members, governors, former Governors, ministers and other stakeholders to deepen the process of consultation.

Apart from the elaborate efforts at stakeholders enlistment in the affairs of the PAP, Otuaro has made a bold statement in pursuing his treasured area of priority – improvement of the manpower base of the Niger Delta through quality vocational training education, skills acquisition and empowerment, agriculture, among others.

Between March and December, Otuaro has ensured deployment of deserving beneficiaries in diverse areas of vocation including aviation training, acquisition of relevant skills in the maritime sector where 98 trainees were certified, and the granting of 1700 undergraduate scholarships painstakingly executed without controversy accross the region.

Otuaro believes that the most effective way to key into the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr President is the entrenchment of peace and security in the Niger Delta. It is without contestation that he has shown character and determination in pursuing this objective with clear results.

Fidelis Soriwei, Media Consultant, Publishes the Network.ng

News

N200b Agric Credit Dispute: Appeal Court Slams NAIC, Upholds First Bank Victory

Published

4 hours ago

November 29, 2025

Editor

The Court of Appeal, Abuja, has dismissed the appeal filed by the Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation (NAIC) against First Bank of Nigeria in the long-running dispute over the disbursement of the Federal Government’s N200 billion Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme.

The decision was one of seven precedent-setting judgments delivered in six hours on Friday by Justice Okon Abang, underscoring his reputation as a hardworking, firm, and uncompromisingly principled jurist whose rulings continue to shape Nigeria’s legal landscape across criminal, human rights, banking, and civil litigation.

In 2013, the NAIC dragged First Bank before the Federal High Court via originating summons, alleging that the bank failed to deduct the mandatory 2.5 per cent premium under the agriculture credit scheme. First Bank promptly filed a counter-affidavit and written address, with both sides joining issues and exchanging further processes over the years.

But when the case was ripe for hearing, NAIC sought to suddenly withdraw its suit—claiming an unnamed Bankers’ Committee representative had approached it for an out-of-court settlement.

First Bank objected, insisting that once pleadings had been exchanged, withdrawal without consent should lead to dismissal, not a mere striking out. To strike out, the bank argued, would allow NAIC a second bite at the cherry—an abuse of process.

The Federal High Court agreed and dismissed the suit, prompting NAIC to head to the Court of Appeal.

Delivering the unanimous judgment of the Court of Appeal, Justice Abang held that NAIC’s appeal was “grossly misconceived” and that, having seen the bank’s defence, NAIC attempted to retreat and re-strategise, “only being smart, believing that it could cunningly manipulate judicial proceedings to save a suit that appears weak and manifestly unsupported.”

He stressed that, once a defendant’s counter-affidavit has been served, any withdrawal by the claimant must naturally lead to dismissal, not striking out, to avoid overreaching the respondent.

Justice Abang agreed with the trial court that, “Since issues have been joined and the matter has previously been adjourned on several occasions, the proper order to make on the application of the plaintiff is to dismiss the suit.”

The Court of Appeal also questioned NAIC’s reliance on an alleged intervention by the Bankers’ Committee—a non-party that had earlier resisted being joined in the matter.

The appellate court concluded that NAIC, having sighted the bank’s counter-affidavit, simply lost confidence in its case and sought a “soft landing” to refile later.

News

Nigeria Records One Of Africa’s Widest Gaps In Policy Reputation Index

Published

4 hours ago

November 29, 2025

Editor

Nigeria has been identified as one of the African nations suffering the largest disconnect between policy delivery and citizen trust, a finding described as the “defining governance crisis” across the continent, according to the inaugural RPI African Policy Index 2025 released by Reputation Poll International (RPI).

The comprehensive Index, which evaluates governance and policy performance across all 54 African countries, places Nigeria in the middle tier of “Strugglers” with an overall score of 52.3. This category reflects nations that achieve partial policy results but fail to earn public confidence.

Drawing from hard data on policy implementation and perception surveys involving over 25,000 Africans, the report shows that Nigeria records one of the continent’s widest Trust Gaps, sometimes exceeding 25 points between objective performance and citizen confidence.

The report flags Nigeria alongside South Africa, Angola, Egypt, and Zimbabwe as countries with the most severe mismatches.

In Nigeria, anti-corruption laws and other initiatives score reasonably well on paper but fail to inspire public trust due to perceived elite impunity and inconsistent enforcement.

Similar patterns exist across these nations, where oil wealth, infrastructure spending, and progressive legislation do not convince ordinary citizens that governments genuinely serve their interests. This trust deficit is highlighted as Africa’s core governance challenge.

The Index emphasises that without deliberate measures to close the gap—through transparent data, citizen audits, and visible accountability—policy ambitions alone cannot produce stable or legitimate outcomes.

By contrast, a small group of nations scoring above 70 demonstrate that world-class governance is achievable when delivery is matched by citizen belief.

Mauritius leads with 78.9, followed by Seychelles at 76.4, Cabo Verde at 74.8, and Botswana at 73.2. These countries excel because strong economic management, high vaccination rates, transparent institutions, and consistent progress in education and digital reforms are reinforced by equally high public trust.

Botswana and Mauritius succeed not because they are wealthy, but because they systematically include citizens in monitoring and feedback, narrowing the trust deficit to near zero.

Over half of Africa, however, remains far from this standard. The Strugglers tier (50–69.9) encompasses 30 countries, while 18 “Systemic Challengers” score below 50, from Sierra Leone at 49.2 to South Sudan at 28.4.

In these countries, structural breakdowns, chronic insecurity, and collapsed legitimacy produce average Trust Gaps of 35 points, undermining even modest policy efforts amid daily experiences of violence and exclusion.

Central Africa records the lowest regional average at 41.2, while Southern Africa dominates the top tier. West, East, and North Africa deliver mixed results.

For Nigerian leadership, the Index sends a clear message: policy formulation alone is no longer sufficient. As the country grapples with debt, youth unemployment, and climate pressures, bridging the Trust Gap through better communication, transparency, and inclusive monitoring has become essential to achieve sustained development and restore public confidence.

The RPI African Policy Index 2025 stands as both a warning and a roadmap: unless the trust deficit is addressed, Africa’s governance crisis will only deepen.
(GUARDIAN)