The House of Representatives has taken a firm stance against the Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Dr Dennis Otuaro, issuing him a stringent 72-hour ultimatum to appear before its investigative panel. The directive comes amidst a deepening probe into alleged financial irregularities exceeding N26 billion within the agency.
Constitutional Showdown Over Audit Queries
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the House has mandated Otuaro to present himself on Tuesday, December 9, 2025. This final summons follows the coordinator's reported failure to honour six consecutive invitations extended by the committee. During a heated session on Thursday, December 4, committee members expressed outrage at the repeated snub.
The committee's chairman, Bamidele Salam, declared the appearance non-negotiable, emphasizing the legislature's constitutional oversight role. "The committee will not tolerate further disregard for parliamentary authority," Salam warned. He insisted that Otuaro must come alongside other principal officers of the PAP to provide a comprehensive defence against the audit observations.
The motion to issue a warrant of arrest, should Otuaro fail to comply, was moved by Dominic Okafor and seconded by Aliyu Bappa Missau, receiving unanimous support from the committee.
Details of the N26 Billion Financial Breaches
The investigation is grounded in a damning report from the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation. The audit queries point to systemic financial misconduct within the PAP, established in 2009 to rehabilitate ex-militants from the Niger Delta. The major allegations include:
- A violation of the Federal Government's e-payment policy on expenditures totalling N17.6 billion.
- Payment of N3.6 billion without undergoing mandatory internal audit checks.
- Disbursement of N1.5 billion for tuition fees without any supporting documents.
- Circumvention of official procurement processes.
- Issuance of cash advances above approved limits, amounting to N1.2 billion.
These findings form part of a broader push by the National Assembly to enforce accountability in agencies managing substantial intervention funds.
Academic Success Amidst Financial Scrutiny
In a contrasting development, the Presidential Amnesty Programme has announced an educational milestone. Nine beneficiaries of its foreign postgraduate scholarship scheme have successfully obtained master's degrees from universities in the United Kingdom.
These scholars, the first batch in the PAP's offshore postgraduate deployment to the UK for the 2024-2025 academic session, graduated from institutions including Anglia Ruskin University, the University of Dundee, and the University of Law. Their fields of study spanned cybersecurity, data science, law, construction management, project management, and ICT.
Dr Otuaro, whose office is under intense scrutiny, congratulated the graduates. He noted they completed their programmes in record time, justifying the government's investment. The PAP also revealed that 711 undergraduate and postgraduate scholars are set to graduate from Nigerian universities this year. A graduation reception was held for the UK graduates in London on Wednesday, December 3, 2025.
The situation presents a stark duality for the PAP: celebrating educational achievements of its beneficiaries while its leadership faces a parliamentary reckoning over the management of funds meant for such transformative programmes.
