Amnesty office says it won't bow to blackmail over BVN rule
- The Presidential Amnesty Programme says critics of its Bank Verification Number compliance are blackmailers.
- It says the BVN rule is a Federal Government policy and the office cannot be exempt.
- The office listed scholarships, stipends and training as proof of reforms under Dr Dennis Otuaro.
The Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) has pushed back at critics of its Administrator, Dr Dennis Brutu Otuaro, saying it will not be forced to drop the Federal Government's Bank Verification Number (BVN) rule.
In a statement on Wednesday, the office described the attacks on Otuaro as blackmail by people it said do not wish the Niger Delta well. It said the BVN policy, which ties every bank account to one person's identity, applies to all government agencies and the amnesty office is no exception.
According to the office, some of the complainants have been asked to come forward for verification of their claims but have not shown up.
What the office is saying
The PAP said the anger against Otuaro comes from his handling of money and his reforms, which it said have closed loopholes that some people had used for personal gain.
It said some critics are unhappy with what they are paid under the programme's rules, while others wanted large contracts the current leadership is not willing to award.
"The PAP office cannot be the exception in the execution of the government's policy on BVN designed to eradicate corruption in the society," the statement said.
The office also said it will not spend money meant for the education and skills training of Niger Delta youths to satisfy what it called the appetites of blackmailers and their sponsors.
It urged the public to ignore the allegations, which it said are meant to damage Otuaro's name and pull his attention away from the job President Bola Tinubu gave him.
Reforms and results cited
To back its case, the PAP listed what it said Otuaro has achieved since taking over. These include 13,300 onshore scholarships and more than 500 offshore ones, plus laptops given to beneficiaries.
The office said ex-agitators now get their monthly stipends promptly. It also said four cadet pilots and 20 other aviation trainees have jobs after their training, 40 cadets are on job training, 98 maritime cadets have received professional certification, and more than 360 stakeholders have been trained in dispute resolution and mediation.
The PAP thanked Niger Delta leaders and stakeholders for standing with Otuaro and said it remains focused on peace and development in the region.
The statement did not name the critics or give details of their allegations, and none of the claims on either side has been tested in court.