Nathan Tamarapreye, Yenagoa
Dr Dennis Otuaro, Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), has urged members of staff to be more efficient and productive in accomplishing the programme’s mandate of ensuring enduring peace and security in the Niger Delta.
A statement by Mr Igoniko Oduma, Special Assistant on Media to Otuaro quoted PAP Boss as speaking at a re-orientation workshop for new and existing PAP Office employees in Abuja at the weekend.
Otuaro reiterated his commitment to diligently working towards achieving the goals for which the programme was established.
He assured the President that the programme was in “safe hands” and vowed to leverage his position to make a positive impact in the region by achieving sustainable peace and security through the proper implementation of the programme.
“I know all the major stakeholders in the Niger Delta and don’t need intermediaries to engage with anyone.
“I am not here to make money. My passion is the peace, security and development of the Niger Delta through the mainstreaming of ex-agitators and creating opportunities for them to become self-sufficient and independent,” he said.
Otuaro explained that the purpose of the workshop was to foster an environment where workers could collaborate rather than work in isolation, to achieve the programme’s objectives more effectively.
He said, “This exercise aims to enhance our efforts to harness the elements of collaboration and teamwork for effective implementation of the mandate of the Presidential Amnesty Office.
“In this regard, we will strive to deepen collaboration and consultations with critical stakeholders to implement the programme. This noble objective can only be achieved with effective, efficient and dedicated input from our staff members.”
The administrator further stated that the programme would explore funding opportunities for beneficiaries, who have been trained in vocational skills, assuring all stakeholders that they would be treated fairly.
The PAP was established in 2009 to disarm, demobilise and reintegrate former Niger Delta agitators into society.
The programme, currently in the reintegration phase, aims at mainstreaming the former agitators and providing institutional support for impacted communities in the region.
According to the statement, all department and unit heads presented to the participants in their respective divisions.
External resource persons, Air Commodore. Darlington Abdullahi (rtd); Bola Yusuf, MD of Workforce Development; and Mrs Chinese Josef; also delivered talks on “DDR: A Global Interventionist Model for Peace Keeping (Focus on the Niger Delta Presidential Amnesty Programme), Building a World-class Organisation in the Presidential Amnesty Programme and Focus on Personal Effectiveness respectively.
Some PAP members of staff including, Theophilus Tikpa and Mirabel Idoh of the Technical Support and Administration Departments, respectively, commended the Administrator for the workshop saying it was very educative and that lessons gained would help the workers to work better as a team in the discharge of their duties.