By Tunde Oso

Head, Association of Urhobo Mayoral Family Crown, AUMFC and Mayor of Urhoboland, His Excellency, Dr. Eshanekpe Israel popularly known as Akpodoro has warned members of the Committee on Public Accounts of the House of Representatives led by its Chairman, Mr. Bamidele Salam representing Ede/North/Ede South/Ejigbo/Egbedore Federal Constituency of Osun State to leave the Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, PAP, Dr Dennis Otuaro and the agency out what he described as a routine harassment and bully by lawmakers aimed at achieving self interests.

The Mayor stated this in his Ughelli, Delta State, Mayoral Palace over the weekend calling on the Committee to leave PAP alone and scrutinise the security votes to the governors whose states are under siege by terrorists and bandits noting that the beneficiaries of the Amnesty are not complaining of anything and pleased with the management of Dr. Otuaro since taking over the agency.

Akpodoro noted that Committee members are noted for selective gaslighting agencies not for national but “selfish interest” especially when such agency is doing well just to throw a spanner in the works the management of such agency adding that selective accountability could be injurious to national health saying Hon. Salam’s Committee should allow the Otuaro carry out his statutory duties to the people of the Niger Delta region.

“An ex-militant leader,” Mayor Akpodoro said “the Amnesty Programme although not above accountability but is directly under the purview of the presidency and direct supervision of the Office of the National Security Adviser to the President, representing the interest of the Niger Delta people and should allowed to carry out its duties to the people and not be distracted by vested interests who wish to bully the management to succumb to their whims against national interest.”

“The PAP” according to the Mayor “is a sensitive agency that it’s distraction is capable of throwing the entire nation into anarchy for which reason he said the House Committee should desist from acts that could jeopardise the stable peace in the Niger Delta region adding it that Dr. Otuaro has been able to stabilise and insulate the region from restiveness, crimes and criminalities and enshrine a regime of steady growth among the youths, ex-militants and persons in the region.”

“Members of the Public Accounts Committee shouldn’t allow themselves to be used by those who see the PAP as their exclusive preserve, we know those behind the attacks on the Otuaro-led management of the agency. Gaslighting the management of the programme shouldn’t be a national priority but getting to the root of the surge in banditry, terrorism, insurgency and sundry criminal violence in the country despite the huge amount being disbursed to the governors in security votes monthly. Nigeria is overwhelmed by criminal activities and the governors are running the security votes accounts of their states in an opaque manner while the citizens are killed in their large numbers by criminals, what stops the Salam Committee from beaming its searchlight on the security votes?

“The House Committee should rather than engaging in the frivolities of inviting Dr. Otuaro whose achievements are open books. Interrogate the security votes to governors in the North-West, North-East, North Central and put them on the spot to stem the tide of insecurity in the country.”

“Dr. Otuaro,” Akpodoro noted, “is the best Administrator of the Amnesty Programme since its creation by the late President Umar Musa Yar’Adua administration.”

“He is a trustworthy, honest, and morally accountable and visionary leader in whom the beneficiaries are well pleased. Allow him deliver the good service to our people while you bring your investigative strength to bear on those managing the country’s security votes. Direct your threats of arrest to those mismanaging security votes and not Otuaro.

“We should all remember that PAP was established to manage the disarmament, demobilisation, and reintegration of ex-militants in the Niger Delta. Its mandate includes reintegration, vocational training, scholarships, support for beneficiaries, and other interventions in our region.

“Salam Committee should thread softly because the issue of the PAP is more sensitive much more than the Committee members think. Why is the threat of arrest issued in this yuletide season? Otuaro won’t give Christmas handout to anyone but would rather invest the budget of his office in the life of the Niger Delta region,” the Mayor concluded.