THE ESSENCE OF GOOD LEADERSHIP: A GRATEFUL VOICE TO CHIEF DENNIS BRUTUS OTUARO, PhD
By TarakiriVoice Editorial Board
When a leader listens, hope breathes again.When a public servant acts swiftly in response to the cry of the people, governance becomes not just a duty, but a divine calling.
A few weeks ago, TarakiriVoice raised its pen — not in malice, but in moral duty — to speak for the voiceless students under the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP). We wrote with pain and truth about their struggles: the delay in the In-House Training Allowance (ITA) and the lack of basic learning tools such as laptops. We cried out because silence would have been complicity.
Today, we must also write again — this time, in gratitude.
We deeply appreciate Chief Dennis Brutus Otuaro, PhD, the Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, for demonstrating what true leadership means: the humility to listen, the courage to act, and the compassion to serve.
Following our editorial, Chief Otuaro immediately directed the release of laptops to the Amnesty students — a decisive and heartwarming gesture that reaffirmed that leadership is still possible in Nigeria when conscience leads the way. In that moment, he proved that a good leader is not one who hides from criticism, but one who turns criticism into correction, and correction into progress.
Chief Otuaro, we salute you.
In a nation where many in authority choose silence, your responsiveness rekindled a dying faith. You have shown that the voice of the people — when spoken sincerely — can still move the heart of power. You have shown that constructive criticism can yield constructive change.
Yet, as we celebrate this noble step, we must also remind you, with the same love and sincerity that birthed the first editorial, that the students’ In-House Training Allowance remains unpaid. The cry has not been silenced — only softened by hope. We appeal to your good conscience and sense of justice to complete this act of compassion by ensuring that these allowances are released without further delay.
These students are not statistics; they are sons and daughters of the Niger Delta whose dreams depend on the promises of the Amnesty Programme. Every unpaid allowance is not just a financial issue — it is an emotional wound, a broken commitment, and a delayed destiny.
Chief Otuaro, history is already marking your tenure — and you have the rare opportunity to be remembered not as one who merely responded, but as one who restored. You have taken a commendable step; now, let the journey of compassion be complete.
At TarakiriVoice, our mission remains the same: to speak truth without fear or favour. When leaders do well, we will praise them openly. When they err, we will correct them firmly. That is our covenant with the truth, our service to the people, and our duty to God.
We are not enemies of progress — we are partners of conscience. And today, our editorial is written not in protest, but in appreciation.
To the Administrator, Chief Dennis Brutus Otuaro, PhD, we say: Thank you for listening. Thank you for acting. And thank you for proving that the spirit of leadership still lives among us.
Now, let the same heart that moved you to release laptops move you once more — to release the long-awaited allowances.Let your name be remembered as the man who restored faith to a broken system, and hope to forgotten students.
May God grant you the wisdom to finish what you have begun,and the courage to always lead with compassion, humility, and justice.
— TarakiriVoice Editorial Board
(For the Forgotten Beneficiaries of the Niger Delta Amnesty Programme)
