A group of ex-agitators in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, under the umbrella body of the Coalition of Phase 1 Ex-Militant Leaders, has sent a strong message of warning to certain unguided elements in the region to desist from further incessant attacks against the Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), High Chief Dr Dennis Otuaro, to avoid it snowballing into a crisis.

The group of ex-agitators with representatives from across the Niger Delta states, gave the warning at a recent press briefing that held in the city of Warri, Delta State.

The coalition of ex-agitators also called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to ignore the campaign of calumny sponsored against the Administrator by selfish, corrupt and greedy elements whose stock in trade is to milk the PAP and other intervention agency such as the NDDC, to the detriment of the Niger Delta people.

They argued that since the assumption of Otuaro as Administrator, the PAP is working and that the President should sustain the war against corruption in the amnesty programme through the appointment of Otuaro who they describe as a square peg in a square hole.

"We have observed with utter dismay the unwarranted attack and campaign of calumny, sustained negative propaganda since the appointment of Chief Dr. Otuaro by un-reactionary forces, power-mongers, influencers, peddlers and their agents, who have held the amnesty programme by the jugglers over the years," said Ebipade Abraham, convener of the group.

"The hired protesters at the national assembly recently are not beneficiaries of the programme. It goes to show how desperate their sponsors are; they are blinded by their love for corruption," he added.

According to the ex-agitators, Otuaro is working and doing a good job which obviously has become a threat to the corrupt elements who are now fighting back with smear campaigns and going extra lengths in order to hijack the PAP and return it to its gory days.

"Since Dennis Otuaro came on board, the amnesty programme is going smoothly. We have the vocational sector with people in the vocational training center today," said Lucky Jonah, an ex-agitator.

The agitators therefore called for a stop to the campaign of calumny and sponsored protests against Otuaro, and urged Niger Deltans to rally behind Otuaro and for detractors to deviate from the pull him down syndrome by joining hands with the Administrator to transform the region.

"I want to advise that whoever that is going against him [Otuaro], his government, they should stop going against him. We should not put our brother down. Wait for your own time," Arunu Oputu, the incoming president of Phase 1 stated, and then added, "Everybody has their own time. When it comes to your own time, God will give it to you."

Chief Okoko Samson, a representative from Isoko South in Delta State cautioned, "Fighting Otuaro is fighting the government; you're fighting Tinubu, you're fighting Sheriff, you're fighting Delta as a whole as well as fighting the Niger Delta. During your time, nobody fight you, so why are you fighting others? My advice to my co-brothers who are here and mothers, let's all support Otuaro."

For ex-agitator Jonah, he said, "We are giving them this advice to leave the pull him down syndrome in Niger Delta and work hand-in-hand to support this administration so that this programme, the benefit and the reason of this programme, can be achieved in the Niger Delta."

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