How Not to Be a Public Servant: A Case Study of Dennis Otuaro

When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu appointed Dennis Otuaro as Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), many discerning observers were not only surprised but deeply troubled.

It was an appointment that lacked the imprimatur of merit and reeked of political appeasement. Even more unsettling was the fact that Otuaro had contributed nothing of substance to the President’s hard-fought electoral victory. Until just a few months prior, he had operated as a mere errand boy within the corridors of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). His sudden elevation to such a strategic federal assignment shocked many and has since proven questionable in both wisdom and consequence.

His descent into the arena during the ill-fated Boro Day celebration held in Warri is a testament to how not to wield public office. Warri, a territory that lies firmly outside Ijaw dominion, became on that day the unfortunate theatre for Otuaro’s incendiary rhetoric and divisive posturing. Rather than observing the solemnity that should accompany such a commemorative event, he chose to stoke ethnic tensions and provoke host communities with what can only be described as gibberish. For the record, the Itsekiri people do not consider Isaac Adaka Boro a national hero. To impose such a narrative within Warri is to indulge in historical falsehood and cultural aggression.

Even more disturbing is Otuaro’s alleged role in bankrolling a controversial ward delineation exercise in the three Warri local government areas—an exercise fronted by his kinswoman, Prof. Rhoda Gumus, under the aegis of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The move was widely condemned as an underhanded attempt to distort the region’s political demography in favor of Ijaw hegemony, notwithstanding the historical and judicial realities that undergird Warri’s established identity.

It is in this context that Dennis and his cohorts launched an insidious campaign of blackmail, going as far as accusing First Lady Senator Remi Tinubu and Senator Daisy Danjuma of allegedly influencing the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) to halt their ill-conceived and potentially destabilizing delineation exercise. The intervention of the NSA, it must be noted, was necessitated by credible threats to national security, and the aspersions cast on these highly distinguished women are not only unjustified but manifestly dishonorable.

The insult to Senator Daisy Danjuma is particularly galling, considering the irony of the situation. Otuaro and his Gbaramatu brethren are beneficiaries of the magnanimity of her husband’s godson, Col. Agbu Kefas (Rtd), who is widely regarded as an enabler of opportunities for many in their fold. That these same beneficiaries would turn around to cast aspersions on a woman of Senator Danjuma’s pedigree speaks volumes about the depth of their political opportunism and absence of gratitude.

As if that were not enough, there are troubling whispers that Otuaro boasted in certain quarters about securing his appointment through a ?4 billion deal, ostensibly funded through proceeds of illegal oil bunkering. If such claims bear even a grain of truth, then what we are witnessing is not just poor leadership but a national travesty.

The pattern of behavior is not new. The Gbaramatu axis appears to have perfected the art of blackmail and targeted vilification. A vivid example lies in the unjust campaign against Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, former Executive Vice President (Upstream) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL). Known for her brilliance and unblemished record, Eyesan was hounded out of office in what many industry insiders suspect was a deliberate plot orchestrated by the same political clique. Her forced exit was not only undeserved but also a painful reminder of how excellence is often sacrificed on the altar of ethnic expediency.

Perhaps the most sacrilegious of Otuaro’s infractions is the attempt to desecrate the revered throne of the Olu of Warri. Referring to His Majesty, a monarch whose lineage spans over five centuries, as a “gun runner” is not only defamatory but reveals a deep-seated contempt for traditional institutions. This is especially ironic considering that the so-called Gbaramatu kingdom only received its staff of office in 2017, and the monarch to whom Otuaro pledges allegiance has long been dogged by allegations of oil bunkering and arms trafficking.

In all, Otuaro’s tenure thus far has demonstrated how not to steward public trust. The Presidential Amnesty Programme was conceived as a platform for reconciliation, rehabilitation, and reintegration—not for the entrenchment of ethnic vendettas or personal aggrandizement. His actions, if unchecked, risk exacerbating fragile ethnic tensions in the Niger Delta and undermining the credibility of federal institutions.

Nigeria deserves better. The Niger Delta deserves better. And public service demands better. Dennis Otuaro, unfortunately, has become a textbook example of how not to hold a federal office.

Written by Alex Shola Omaretsesione of Warri Media Group

×