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Ex-militants under the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) in Ondo State, recently, kicked against the non-payment of the monthly stipends of thousands of genuine beneficiaries of the programme in the state, threatening to return to the creeks in a renewed campaign against oil and gas facilities if the presidency fails to call those in charge to order.
The Ex-militants under the auspices of the Conference of Niger Delta Ex- Agitators, who raised the alarm over the plan to delist some of the beneficiaries from the PAP alleged that the plan was orchestrated as part of a bid to terminate the programme by the 31st December 2022 deadline.
In an open letter written to President Muhammadu Buhari, signed by the coordinator, Comrade Priye Noel Kuete and the secretary, Engr Diegha Captain Samson, urged President Buhari to prevail on the National Security Adviser, Major General, Mohammed Babagana Monguno, (rtd) and the Interim Administrator of PAP, Major General Barry Ndiomu (rtd), to reinstate, with immediate effect, all those whose names have been criminally removed from the payment voucher.
The letter read: “We call on Mr President to rein in enemies of the country in his government who are bent on scrapping the amnesty programme as a decoy to cover up their involvement in financial crimes in the office to dissipate their energies towards the implementation of PAP’s masterplan.
We have left the creeks for the love of Nigeria and the government should not force us to go back to the creeks. Should the unimaginable become a reality, no state and/or private security can stop us. A stitch in time saves nine”
“However, we wish to use this medium to draw your attention to pertinent issues that demand your urgent attention in order to save our dear country from passing through another round of agitation in the oil-rich Niger Delta region under your watch.
“Recall that late President Umaru Musa Ya’Adua declared the Presidential Amnesty for Niger Delta agitators in June 25 2009. The programme did not get legal teeth until 2018 when Mr President assented to the bill establishing it.
“According to the bill, the amnesty programme shall be structured into disarmament, rehabilitation and reintegration. It further stipulates that ex-agitators under the programme shall be paid regular monthly stipends as may be approved by the President from time, to time, take care of their basic necessities as part of the demobilization process and that only ex-agitators whose names are in the stipends roll shall be entitled to receive the regular monthly stipends or allowances.
“Contrary to expectations of ex-agitators and well-meaning Nigerians, when Mr President approved the appointment of Major General Barry Tariye Ndiomu (rtd) as Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, news had it that the new Interim Administrator was given the mandate to scrap the programme which masterplan is yet to be implemented by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
“This, the Interim Administrator has confirmed in his engagements with stakeholders in the Niger Delta region with a caveat not to wind it down abruptly”
The ex-agitators however said “to our greatest chagrin and consternation, when payment of stipends in the month of October 2022 was recently effected, thousands of genuine beneficiaries of the Programme were not paid.
“Mr President, so far, flimsy excuses have been given as grounds for delisting genuine and well-documented beneficiaries from the Programme.
“When late President Musa Ya’ Adua made the proclamation, amnesty was declared for all persons who have directly or indirectly participated in militancy in the Niger Delta unconditionally. It did not preclude those with paid jobs from renouncing militancy ab initio.
“Moreover, the law establishing the Presidential Amnesty Programme does not single out any category of beneficiaries deemed not to be receiving the regular monthly stipends for any reason whatsoever. So, whether or not someone is working elsewhere while his/her name is on the payment voucher of the amnesty programme is immaterial.
“In addition, everyone knows how difficult it is to secure placements in the Nigerian job environment. As a father, do you just abdicate your financial obligations to your child without any income simply because the child has graduated from the University? The answer is an emphatic NO!
“Besides, the 2022 appropriation captured all the 30, 000 documented beneficiaries of the Presidential Amnesty Programme and funds for payment of regular monthly stipends have been released accordingly”
They explained that “By delisting those whose funds have been appropriated for the year, does it mean the Interim Administrator wants to return the money to national coffers? Or characteristic of his type, he wants to convert it for personal use?
“We are not sure if Mr President is aware of plans by fifth columnists to scrap the Presidential Amnesty Programme thereby depriving the region of enjoying the prevailing peace, security and stability.
“Those in positions of authority, at times, need to come to equity with clean hands. How could a sane person conceive plans to scrap the Presidential Amnesty Programme which resultant effects have boosted the production capacity of crude oil in the country and illegally sustain processes of disarmament, rehabilitation and reintegration of Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists with billions of naira exploited from the Niger Delta region? This is the moral burden on those propagating a scrap of the Presidential Amnesty Programme.
“Therefore, we call on Mr President to prevail on the National Security Adviser, Major General, Mohammed Babagana Monguno, (rtd) and the Interim Administrator of PAP, Major General Barry Ndiomu (rtd), to reinstate, with immediate effect, all those whose names have been criminally removed from the payment voucher.”
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