PAP: Ogidigba Urges Otuaro to Conduct Camp Verification Exercise to Complete Programme Sanitization
By Dr. Odimientimi Agbedeyi
For Global Egberi Media International Ltd
The leadership of the Amnesty Delegates Forum has appealed to the Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), High Chief Dennis Otuaro, PhD, to urgently conduct a comprehensive camp verification exercise across Phases 1, 2 and 3 of the programme as part of efforts to consolidate ongoing reforms and completely sanitize the scheme.
The call was contained in a statement signed by Gen. Godstime Ogidigba (Ogidigba) on behalf of the Forum.
According to Ogidigba, the proposed verification exercise has become necessary to address historical gaps, correct possible errors arising from the early implementation of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, distinguish genuine beneficiaries from irregular entries and strengthen public confidence in the programme.
In a pointed observation, Ogidigba stated:
“When the owner of a farm is too slow to catch a thief, the thief will eventually accuse the owner of being the thief.”
The statement further commended Chief Dennis Otuaro for what the Forum described as his determination to resist compromise and dismantle practices that allegedly enabled irregularities within the programme.
The Forum maintained that Otuaro’s approach to reform has unsettled beneficiaries of the old system, while exposing what it described as entrenched interests that may have benefited from weaknesses in the administration of the Amnesty Programme.
Call for Comprehensive Verification
The Amnesty Delegates Forum believes that a properly conducted camp verification exercise covering Phases 1, 2 and 3 could provide an important opportunity to establish an accurate and credible database of beneficiaries.
Such an exercise, according to the Forum, could help to:
- identify genuine ex-agitators and legitimate beneficiaries;
- correct historical administrative errors;
- detect and eliminate irregularities;
- improve the credibility of the PAP database;
- strengthen accountability and transparency; and
- provide a more sustainable foundation for future interventions.
The Forum therefore urged the PAP Administrator not to relent in the reform process but to deepen it through a verification mechanism that is transparent, fair and properly documented.
Editorial Insight: Reform Must Be Firm, Fair and Transparent
The appeal by the Amnesty Delegates Forum raises an important question about the future of the Presidential Amnesty Programme: How can a programme established to address a complex historical crisis maintain credibility if its beneficiary records are not periodically subjected to transparent verification?
The Presidential Amnesty Programme is too important to the peace and development architecture of the Niger Delta to become a permanent battleground between competing interests.
Sanitization, however, must go beyond removing names or questioning beneficiaries. A credible reform must be evidence-based, transparent and devoid of selective treatment. Genuine beneficiaries should not be punished because of administrative failures committed in the past, just as questionable entries should not be protected merely because they have existed for years.
A comprehensive camp verification exercise, if properly designed and independently monitored, could therefore become more than an administrative exercise. It could serve as a credibility test for the reform agenda itself.
The process should provide adequate notice to affected beneficiaries, establish clear verification criteria, create avenues for legitimate complaints and appeals, and ensure that decisions are based on verifiable records rather than personal, political or factional considerations.
The ultimate objective should be simple: protect genuine beneficiaries, eliminate fraud and irregularities, and restore confidence in PAP.
Appeal for Patience
The Amnesty Delegates Forum also appealed to genuine ex-agitator leaders and beneficiaries to remain patient and continue supporting the reform efforts of Chief Dennis Otuaro.
It stressed that the sanitization of a programme of the magnitude and historical importance of PAP would require courage, patience and institutional discipline.
The Forum’s position is that reforms capable of correcting longstanding weaknesses may inevitably generate resistance from interests accustomed to the old order. Nevertheless, it urged genuine beneficiaries to remain committed to a process that could ultimately strengthen the programme.
A Defining Moment for PAP
The call for camp verification comes at a critical moment for the Presidential Amnesty Programme. If implemented with transparency and fairness, such an exercise could help resolve longstanding questions surrounding beneficiary records and provide a stronger institutional foundation for the programme.
For the reform agenda to achieve lasting success, however, sanitization must be accompanied by accountability, due process and protection for legitimate beneficiaries.
The responsibility therefore rests not only on the PAP administration but also on all stakeholders to ensure that the reform process serves the larger interests of peace, stability and development in the Niger Delta.
Signed:
Gen. Ogidigba Godstime Ogidigba
Leadership, Amnesty Delegates Forum
Reporter/Editor:
Dr. Odimientimi Agbedeyi
Global Egberi Media International Ltd
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