Dennis Otuaro has lauded late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua for proclaiming amnesty for former agitators of the Niger Delta and also establishing the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP).
Otuaro, PAP administrator, made the remarks on Saturday at the second President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua International Leadership Conference and Awards in Abuja.
The event, organised by the Global Initiative for Leadership Success, was themed “Electoral Management Institution: Midwife of True Democracy, Development, and Prosperity”.
Speaking through Monabe Mitee, his special assistant on data and ICT, Otuaro described Yar’Adua as a “selfless leader and a patriot” whose commitment to sustainable peace and development in the Niger Delta remains a lasting legacy.
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According to a statement by Igoniko Oduma, his media assistant, Otuaro said Yar’Adua was deeply concerned about the need for guaranteed sustainable peace, stability, and development in the region.
“President Yar’Adua was a listening leader, and this was evident in his response to the civic demands of the Niger Delta people,” the statement reads.
“He not only proclaimed amnesty for the region’s freedom fighters at the time, but he also established the Presidential Amnesty Programme which I am heading today by the benevolence of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, and as a precursor to the programme he also created the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs.”
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The administrator further said Yar’Adua had a deep understanding of the burden of leadership and brought this to bear in the governance of the country.
Otuaro added that the former Katsina governor would have done much more for the region and Nigeria had he completed his tenure.
“He also ran a government of national unity to demonstrate his faith in a nation united by common aspirations for the attainment of national development, peace, security, progress, and shared prosperity and greatness,” he added.
“I believe that President Yar’Adua would have contributed much more of his quota to the country’s development process if his tenure had not been cut short by his protracted illness and eventual demise in office. He would be remembered for his selfless service. He was, indeed, a patriot!”
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