Delta Youth Group Makes Rebuttal To False Allegations Made By Itsekiri Youth Elites (IYE) Against Amnesty Administrator, Dennis Otuaro, Describes Allegations As Blackmail, Witch-Hunt -

By Freeborn Abraye

OPEN LETTER FROM THE CONCERNED Youths OF WARRI FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY

TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA AND THE NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER (NSA)

We, the Concerned Youths of Warri Federal Constituency, have read with profound dismay and anger the reckless publication by a self-styled group, the Itsekiri Youth Elites (IYE), accusing the Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Dr. Dennis Brutu Otuaro, of “bypassing the Olu of Warri’s representative” and “marginalizing the Itsekiri ethnic group.”

This poisonous statement is nothing short of ethnic blackmail, a desperate attempt to drag a federal institution into tribal captivity and to intimidate a man whose integrity and administrative discipline have restored order to a once-abused intervention programme. We therefore write to set the record straight, historically, legally and morally.

The Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) Is a National Initiative, Not a Tribal Franchise

The Presidential Amnesty Programme was created in June 2009 under the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua as a national instrument for peace and reintegration, not as a property of any ethnic group or monarch.

The PAP operates under the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), as provided by law. The Coordinator, duly appointed by the President, reports to the NSA, not to any traditional stool.

It is therefore illegal, unconstitutional and insulting to suggest that allocations due to any ethnic nationality must be routed through the “Palace of the Olu of Warri.” Such an assertion has no basis in any statute, gazette or presidential directive. It is a relic of colonial arrogance that has no place in the 21st-century Nigerian Republic.

The Olu of Warri Has No Administrative Jurisdiction Over PAP

The Itsekiri Youth Elites’ claim that the Olu of Warri’s representative must control PAP matters is a violation of the Nigerian Constitution, which makes no provision for traditional rulers in the management of federal agencies.

Section 5(1)(a) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) vests all executive powers in the President, who exercises same through appointed officers. There is no constitutional or administrative space for an ethnic palace to control a federally funded programme.

The Olu of Warri may be revered within his ethnic boundaries but he is not the law and the Nigerian State cannot submit to feudal pretensions.

Historical Truth: Itsekiris Have Never Been Marginalized, They Have Been Favoured

It is hypocritical for the Itsekiri elite to cry “marginalization” in a Niger Delta they have historically dominated through colonial manipulation.

Colonial files such as CSO 26/Vol.6/08549, CO 554/120/5, and the 1932/1938 British Intelligence Reports make it clear that Ijaw communities were the aboriginal inhabitants of the Warri creeks and coastal belts, from Ogbe-Ijoh to Gbaramatu, Egbema and beyond.

The British merely used Itsekiri traders as middlemen between the colonial government and the Ijaw hinterlands. Over time, this administrative favouritism birthed an inflated sense of superiority, which persists today as political arrogance.

For decades, Itsekiri elites cornered government contracts and PAP slots while other ethnic groups that bore the burden of the struggle were left behind. Now that the table of equity has turned under Dr. Otuaro’s leadership, they cry foul.

Dr. Dennis Otuaro Has Acted Within His Legal Mandate

Dr. Otuaro’s administration has restored credibility and transparency to the Amnesty Programme. His reforms are guided by the 2009 Establishment Guidelines of PAP and the principles of federal inclusivity.

Section 42(1) of the 1999 Constitution forbids discrimination on grounds of ethnicity or origin. Therefore, the attempt by IYE to impose an ethnic channel of control is itself unconstitutional.

The Administrator is mandated to engage all Niger Delta beneficiaries directly, not through ethnic monarchs or self-styled “Sole Representatives.” Any demand otherwise is a call for corruption to return.

Threats of Militancy Are Criminal and Condemnable

We are particularly alarmed by the IYE’s veiled threat of “fresh unrest” if their demands are not met. This is a dangerous and irresponsible statement that should not be ignored.

Such incitement violates Section 37 of the Criminal Code (Incitement to Violence) and exposes the true intent behind their publication, to blackmail the federal government into restoring illegal privileges.

We call on the NSA, security agencies and the Presidency to treat this as a matter of national security. The Niger Delta cannot be held hostage by a handful of tribal propagandists masquerading as youth leaders.

Educational Clarification: The Amnesty Programme Is Built on Merit, Not Tribal Patronage

The PAP is a federal reintegration and training scheme, meant for verified ex-agitators across the Niger Delta, Ijaw, Itsekiri, Urhobo, Isoko, Ogoni, Ndokwa and Edo Delta alike.

Under Dr. Otuaro, the programme has returned to its core purpose: rehabilitation, skills training and education. Slots are allocated based on verifiable lists, not ethnic lobbying.

The days when “ghost beneficiaries” and “palace nominees” filled the payroll are over. This is the real source of the Itsekiri outcry, the end of corruption and entitlement.

The Federal Government Must Not Encourage Blackmail

We warn that the recent publication by IYE is part of a coordinated campaign by certain Itsekiri political actors who fear that transparency will expose their long-running exploitation of the system.

Their strategy is to provoke tension and use “ethnic grievance” as a shield for self-interest. We urge the Federal Government and the NSA not to fall for this old trick.

Dr. Otuaro deserves commendation, not condemnation. His leadership is restoring peace and fairness in a region that has suffered from decades of manipulation.

Our Final Word

The Concerned Youths of Warri Federal Constituency stand firmly behind Dr. Dennis Burutu Otuaro. His efforts to reform the PAP are legitimate, lawful and long overdue.

We reject, in totality, the falsehoods propagated by the Itsekiri Youth Elites. Their statement is a relic of a failed era, an insult to democracy and a slap on the face of peace-loving Niger Deltans.

The Olu of Warri is free to reign over his people but the Federal Government must never surrender a constitutional office to an ethnic palace.
Nigeria is a republic, not a monarchy.

Signed:

Tiemopere Joshua
(President)

Ebikeke T. Goodstime

(Secretary)

Concerned Youths of Warri Federal Constituency
For and on behalf of peace, truth and justice in the Niger Delta.

Cc:

The Delta State Governor

The National Assembly of Nigeria

The Attorney General of the Federation