Fmr. Niger Delta Agitators Protest delisting from as group wants end to N65,000 payment to ex-agitators; PAP denies

There have been calls for the reinstatement of the seven thousand delisted beneficiaries of the Presidential Amnesty Programme as some ex-agitators protest against their exclusion from the programme.

It has been just days since the declaration of the massive fraud uncovered within the Presidential Amnesty Program by new interim Administrator Maj. Gen. Barry Ndiomu (retd).

But some ex-agitators have come out in their numbers to barricade various sections of the East-West Road in protest against the delisting of over seven thousand beneficiaries from the programme.

The protesters are demanding their re-enlistment as they accuse the new interim administrator of not following due process or intimating them the reasons for the action.

After hours of the barricade, the protesters were prevailed upon by the former President of the Ijaw Youth Council to give way for proper negotiations.

Although the issue remains unresolved, the need to maintain peace within the oil-rich Niger Delta region can not be overemphasized.

The Presidential Amnesty Programme office has in its reaction said most of the issues raised by the protesters are not true but will be investigated.

Speaking on behalf of the committee, The Chairman, Nature Dumale, says rumours of the de-enlistments are false as the body only seeks to validate genuine beneficiaries of the programme.

Meanwhile, the Niger Delta Integrity Group (NDIG), has called for the discontinuation of the monthly N65,000 stipends paid to ex-agitators, stating that the monthly payment is capable of truncating the noble intention of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP).

The group also feared that the huge amount paid monthly might discourage the Federal Government from continuing with the programme.

To this end, the group urged stakeholders in the Niger Delta to cooperate with the PAP’s Interim Administrator, Maj. Gen. Barry Ndiomu, to delist all those who have been trained and empowered but have continued to receive the N65,000 monthly stipends.

The NDIG Convener, Dr. Boma Horsfall, in a statement, yesterday, in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, expressed concern that those who have been removed from further payment had embarked on a street protest to embarrass the new interim administrator, rather than cooperate with him to ensure the success of the programme.

Horsfall said that it was sad and disappointing for the protesters to object to the recent delisting of 2,952 beneficiaries from Phase Two of the programme, and the stoppage of their monthly N65,000 stipends.

The new leadership of the PAP led by Ndiomu had cut down on the beneficiaries’ figure, as part of deliberate moves to check the fraud that has eaten deep into the programme over the years.

Justifying Ndiomu’s “swift” action, the group recalled that the aggrieved ex-agitators had been trained and equally empowered, thus, it was time for them to exit the programme.

Horsfall said: “The Amnesty Programme clearly states that those who have been trained and empowered should exit. But unfortunately, the same persons who have been trained and empowered are the ones protesting because they are no longer receiving stipends.”

While urging Ndiomu to remain firm in his resolve to sanitise the PAP, the group wondered how the ex-agitators, many of whom have been receiving N65,000 for the past13 years, have not been able to do anything meaningful with the training and empowerment they got to better their lives.

“If you multiply N65,000 by 12 months, it gives you N780,000. If you then multiply N780,000 by 13 years since the PAP started, you will discover that each of them had received N10,140,000 as stipends. This should have been enough for them to set up themselves meaningfully and look beyond the monthly stipends.

“So Ndiomu has set up an audit team to investigate the list and ensure that there is transparency in the process”, the NDIG stated.

The group also alleged that some persons with the same BVN are receiving stipends for over 30 people.

“This has been happening for years and such corruption must stop.” Horsfall regretted that the actions of the ex-agitators were coming at a time when young people are going into technology and becoming owners of small and medium-scale enterprises, and are contributors to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth. “ Depending on N65,000 monthly stipend has caused laziness in the Niger Delta region.”