The Office of the National Vice Chairman, Third Phase Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), General Alhaji Letugbene, has dismissed claims made by Comrade Ezekiel Daniel regarding the recent increase in the programme's budget, describing them as baseless, false and pure propaganda.
Daniel claimed he had called on the Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Dennis Otuaro, to raise the monthly stipend paid to ex-agitators from N65,000 to at least N200,000, arguing that the current rate had become unsustainable given rising inflation.
He said he had lobbied the presidency for an increase to the Amnesty office's funding, and was disappointed that the additional allocation had not, in his view, translated into higher stipends for beneficiaries.
Daniel also referenced his own history of advocacy for the peace process dating back to 2009, and said he had raised the matter directly with President Bola Tinubu, after which the Amnesty office's allocation rose from N65 billion to N115 billion.
He questioned why, if only the President could approve a stipend increase, the Administrator could not simply forward a memo through the Office of the National Security Adviser.
Responding to these claims, Letugbene said the recent rise in PAP's allocation, under Otuaro's leadership, was intended primarily to support the smooth running of the programme as a whole, and was not solely earmarked for stipend increments.
He said sponsorship of beneficiaries for overseas education had been suspended for decades following the tenures of Chief Timi Alaibe and Chief Kingsley Kuku, but that Otuaro had revived and expanded both local and international scholarship schemes to give Niger Delta youths a stronger sense of belonging within the programme.
Under President Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda, Letugbene said, the Administrator had engaged numerous stakeholders through leadership, alternative dispute resolution and mediation training for PAP stakeholders, and was working to extend the amnesty programme further into creek communities to accommodate more young people and support continued peace.
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He added that, over the past two years, the programme had sponsored more than 8,000 Niger Deltans for bachelor's degree programmes across various disciplines, alongside master's and doctoral sponsorships for more than 200 individuals, while also making deliberate efforts to expand skills training opportunities for women across the region.
Addressing Daniel's central claim directly, Letugbene said the assertion that he had influenced the federal government's decision to increase PAP's budget was false and amounted to propaganda.
He clarified that Otuaro was working diligently to safeguard the welfare of beneficiaries, including a possible review of stipends, in line with due process.
He further stated that, to the best of his office's knowledge, Daniel is not a registered beneficiary of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, alleging instead that he is a member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and is being sponsored by certain political actors to cause disruption within the programme.
Letugbene urged beneficiaries across the Niger Delta to remain calm and continue giving their full support to Otuaro's leadership, describing the allegations as an attempt to distract Chief Dennis Otuaro from the Tinubu administration of the Renewed hope agenda.
He warned Daniel to steer clear of the affairs of the Presidential Amnesty Programme and to focus instead on his political activities.
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