Lawmakers urged to exercise restraint in N26b probe of amnesty boss

By : Sodiq Omolaoye

Date: 9 December 2025 4:01pm WAT

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Lawmakers in plenary at the Federal House of Representatives.

Lawmakers in plenary at the Federal House of Representatives.

A civil society organisation, Partners for Petroleum and Energy Sector Prosperity Initiative (PPESPI), has urged the National Assembly to apply caution in its ongoing investigation into the alleged N26 billion audit discrepancies linked to the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) The organisation said the probe must not disrupt the gains recorded in stabilising the Niger Delta.

Addressing a press conference in Abuja, Chairman of PPESPI and Director of Natural Resources and Petroleum at the National Civil Society Council of Nigeria, Lord Charles Ibiang, noted that the audit issues cited by the House Committee on Public Accounts emanated from the 2021 Auditor-General’s report.

He said the financial issues were three years before the appointment of the current Coordinator of PAP, Dr. Dennis Otuaro.

The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee (PAC) last week issued a 72-hour ultimatum to Otuaro, directing him to appear before it on Tuesday, 9 December 2025, to answer audit queries involving over N26 billion.

The Committee, at its proceedings, warned that failure to honour the invitation would force the House to issue a warrant for his arrest to compel his appearance.

The ultimatum follows Otuaro reportedly ignoring six consecutive invitations from the Committee.

His repeated absence triggered outrage during Thursday’s public hearing on 4 December 2025, prompting Hon. Dominic Okafor to move a motion for a warrant of arrest.

Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Hon. Bamidele Salam, declared that the PAP Coordinator’s appearance on Tuesday is non-negotiable.

He stressed that Dr. Otuaro must show up with other principal officers of the Programme to fully address and defend the audit observations.

But Ibiang expressed concern over the threats of arrest warrants and repeated summons issued to Otuaro, stressing that such actions could undermine peace efforts in the region.

“As a civil society body, we recognise the oversight powers of the National Assembly. However, given the sensitivity of PAP’s mandate, we urge lawmakers to exercise discretion,” he said.

He called on lawmakers to invite former administrators whose tenures fall within the audit period and allow the current PAP boss sufficient time to respond to queries.

According to him, Otuaro’s role requires constant engagement with ex-agitators and stakeholders across difficult terrain, adding that any action that could distract the programme’s leadership could threaten hard-won stability in the oil-rich region.

He said, “As a civil society organisation, we recognise the National Assembly’s oversight powers, but we urge caution and discretion in exercising these powers because of the sensitivity of the mandate of PAP.

“Dr. Otuaro’s work is sensitive and demanding, requiring constant travel to challenging environments, and engaging with stakeholders, particularly the ex-agitators, to sustain and maintain the peace painfully achieved during the 2009 Amnesty.

“We request that the National Assembly extend invitations to former Administrators whose tenures are under review and the present, be granted sufficient time to respond to queries and address any other concerns. The Presidential Amnesty program PAP is a strategic agency crucial to Nigeria’s economic stability, particularly in the petroleum sector.”

He appealed to the Federal Government to sustain funding for the Amnesty Programme, which he described as strategic to Nigeria’s economic stability, especially in the petroleum sector.

Ibiang commended the recent graduation of nine PAP-sponsored scholars from universities in the United Kingdom, describing it as evidence of Otuaro’s commitment to quality training and youth development.

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