Otauro’s appointment was announced in a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, titled, ‘President Tinubu appoints Administrator of Presidential Amnesty Programme.’
He replaces the Interim Administrator of the PAP, Maj. Gen. Barry Ndiomu (retd.), who was appointed by former President Muhammadu Buhari on September 15, 2022.
Buhari had sacked Ndiomu’s predecessor, Milland Dikio, a retired colonel, for undisclosed reasons.
Otuaro holds a PhD in Comparative Politics & Development Studies, an MSc in Public Administration, and a BSc in Education.
He had previously served as a senior executive of the Niger Delta Development Commission with a surfeit of experience across multiple sectors, including infrastructure development, security, environmental remediation, as well as oil and gas.
The President said he expects that the new Administrator will “bring his requisite experience and know-how to this role to revamp the Amnesty Programme and advance the realization of its founding purpose and vision.”
The Presidential Amnesty Programme was established by ex-President Musa Yar’Adua in 2009 as part of the government’s measures to reduce militancy in the oil-rich Niger Delta.
It aimed to persuade militants to give up their arms for amnesty and reintegration, providing them stipend payments, professional training and the promise of job placements.
At least 30,000 former militants have been enrolled on the programme so far, information on the programme’s website shows.
Godwin Abbe, a retired major general and former military administrator of Akwa Ibom State, was its first chairman from 2009 to 2010.
