SUSTENANCE OF PEACE IN N’DELTA: Amnesty Boss Otuaro Plays Host To Ebitimi Amgbare, Others, Discuses Plans To Address Food Security, Flood Challenges In Niger Delta -

By Freeborn Abraye

Early on Tuesday morning, Prince Ebitimi Amgbare, the managing director and chief executive officer of the Niger Delta Basin Development Authority (NDBDA), met with Dr. Dennis Otuaro, the administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), in Abuja, to talk about matters pertaining to the development of the Niger Delta region.

According to Prince Amgbare, the Niger Delta Basin Development Authority was intended to serve as a special purpose organization that would promote development within the Niger Delta Basin. The Directorate of Food Roads and Rural Infrastructure (DFRRI), the Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC), the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), and the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) were among the interventionist agencies that were founded in response to the region’s increased agitation after it failed to meet its objectives.

The NDBDA helmsman stated that the main goal of his visit was to establish a cooperative relationship with the PAP office in order to promote significant regional economic growth that aligns with the goals of the 1957 Willinks Commission.

Amgbare then told Dr. Otuaro that his goal in approaching PAP was to enlist his help in promoting his office’s “Food Security Is The Real Security” campaign.

In his reply, Dr. Otuaro praised Amgbare for the visit, describing it as a welcome and maiden one.

He reaffirmed the PAP office’s commitment to using a range of development measures to address the agitation of the Niger Delta people, pointing out that one effective way to achieve both national and human security is through agriculture.

Dr. Otuaro made hints that PAP intended to broaden its net to include scholarship programs for women and other non-arms carriers to acquire vocational skills in an effort to maintain the long-awaited, desired calm in the Niger Delta.

The leader of PAP also pledged to work with NDBDA to address the region’s recurring flooding and related problems.

In addition to praising Amgbare for maintaining a stellar record and his commitment to the Niger Delta’s development, Dr. Otuaro promised that he would not collaborate with Amgbare to carry out Mr. President’s Renewed Hope Agenda in the Niger Delta.