Ijaw Group Accuses Reps Of Amnesty Programme Boss witch-hunt

The Ijaw Interest Advocates (IIA), also known as IzanzanCamp, has warned the House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee (PAC) against what it described as the political harassment of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) administrator, Dr Dennis Burutu Otuaro, insisting that alleged audit queries amounting to N26 billion have nothing to do with his tenure.

In a statement signed by its national coordinator, Arerebo Salaco Yerinmene Snr, the group condemned the 72-hour ultimatum issued to the PAP administrator, stating that the allegations were “false, misdirected and chronologically impossible.”

IzanzanCamp argued that Otuaro assumed office in March 2024, whereas the audit issues referenced by the lawmakers predate his appointment.

The group said holding him responsible for matters that occurred years before he took office was unjust and amounted to a “calculated attempt to malign a performing administrator.”

It warned that any move to weaken or distract Otuaro was effectively an attack on a programme central to national economic stability, noting that the PAP was not created as a political patronage platform.

According to the group, the Administrator’s mandate is focused on peace-building, human capacity development, and preventing disruptions that could threaten oil production and national security.

The statement stressed that since Otuaro’s appointment, the PAP had witnessed “unprecedented stability, transparency, and reform,” citing expanded educational scholarships, strengthened youth empowerment programmes, strategic collaborations with multinational companies such as Julius Berger, and stricter accountability standards.

IzanzanCamp said it was Otuaro’s efforts to correct long-standing systemic abuses — by insisting on due process, prioritising education, ensuring funds reach genuine beneficiaries, and engaging communities — that had provoked “unwarranted attacks” from certain interests.

While declaring support for legitimate legislative oversight, IzanzanCamp warned that it would resist any attempt to weaponise oversight powers for “political intimidation or media harassment,” adding that a performing administrator must not be punished for refusing to entertain corrupt expectations.

The group said the peace currently enjoyed in the Niger Delta was directly tied to Otuaro’s disciplined leadership, warning that destabilising the PAP would undermine national security, crude oil output, and community stability.

It said Otuaro’s focus on education and partnerships with companies such as Julius Berger had further strengthened youth development in the region, urging the National Assembly to rise above politics and support ongoing progress.

IzanzanCamp declared that it would not allow any individual or group to tarnish the image of the PAP Administrator or drag the Niger Delta backwards. It warned that if what it called “harassment” continued, its lieutenants at home and abroad, alongside other Niger Delta bodies, would “peacefully occupy the streets nationwide in defence of our region, our peace, and our progress.”