PAP Leadership Defended as First-Phase Leaders Fault Protest, Cite Expanded Benefits from Budget Increase

By Delta Event TV News

Two prominent first-phase leaders of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Triple General Samson Akuke Awe, Senior Adviser to the First-Phase National Chairman, and Gen. Selete Walter, Bayelsa State First-Phase Chairman, have strongly condemned a recent petition submitted by some first-phase ex-agitator generals, describing it as misleading and unrepresentative of the broader realities within the programme.

Speaking on behalf of several stakeholders, the leaders said the petition failed to acknowledge the wide-ranging reforms, benefits and opportunities that have emerged under the current administration of the PAP led by Dennis Otuaro.

According to them, the reported increase in the PAP budget has translated into tangible gains for Niger Delta youths and ex-agitators, particularly in the areas of education, empowerment, skills acquisition and peacebuilding.

They listed expanded local and overseas scholarship schemes as one of the most visible outcomes of the new administration, noting that thousands of Niger Delta students have been successfully deployed to tertiary institutions within and outside Nigeria. Several beneficiaries, they added, have already completed postgraduate programmes, a milestone they described as unprecedented in scale.

The leaders also highlighted the expansion of vocational training and skills-acquisition programmes, which they said have equipped beneficiaries with practical and entrepreneurial skills, enabling many to become self-reliant and economically productive.

On empowerment, Samson Akuke Awe and Selete Walter pointed to increased access to training opportunities, leadership development programmes and peace-advocacy workshops, stressing that these initiatives are strengthening stability and long-term development across the region.

They further cited improved data management and beneficiary verification under the current leadership, explaining that the exercise has helped eliminate ghost entries, reduce duplication and ensure that genuine beneficiaries are captured within the system.

Addressing claims of exclusion, the leaders insisted that the programme has expanded its reach to previously underserved communities across the Niger Delta, describing the current approach as more inclusive than in past administrations.

They also dismissed allegations of ethnic or community bias, arguing that endorsements and commendations from multiple ex-agitator groups across different states reflect growing confidence in the programme’s leadership.

According to them, the petitioners’ focus on stipend figures alone ignores the broader structural investments being made through education, empowerment and capacity-building, which they described as more sustainable and impactful for long-term peace.

The leaders urged aggrieved parties to embrace dialogue rather than public confrontation, warning that inflammatory narratives could undermine the peace achieved since the 2009 amnesty.

They reaffirmed their support for the ongoing reforms under the current PAP leadership and called on stakeholders to allow the programme’s initiatives to mature, stressing that the ultimate goal remains lasting peace, economic empowerment and development for the Niger Delta.