Ex-agitators under the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) Phase III yesterday urged PAP Interim Administrator, Maj.-Gen. Barry Ndiomu to probe the verification that cleared 30,000 beneficiaries for the scheme.
They spoke after rising from an enlarged critical stakeholders’ meeting of ex-agitators in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.
In a statement by their National Leader, Tonye Bobo, they applauded Ndiomu’s appointment and expressed hope that he would perform excellently.
The statement reads: “We join other patriots in the Niger Delta to felicitate with one of our own on his new appointment and pledge the group’s support to him in the administration of the programme.”
They also urged Gen. Ndiomu to sustain the prompt payment of the monthly stipends to delegates as and when due, stressing that he should equally engage leaders of ex-agitators to rub minds and proffer solutions where necessary.
The group appealed to him to ensure the deployment of more delegates to acquire skills and educational scholarships to study in tertiary institutions within and outside the country.
They urged youths and stakeholders to be upright and forthright in maintaining the relative peace in the region and give maximum support to Gen. Ndiomu.
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The former agitators said: “There is no gainsaying the fact that the programme is on the stage of re-integration. The various pieces of training have successfully harnessed the potential of the delegates. We, therefore, call on Gen. Barry Ndiomu to consolidate the achievements of his predecessors.
“We implore the new PAP boss to still look into the issue of verification exercise of ex-agitators to ascertain the genuine 30,000 ex-agitators that were captured as beneficiaries.”
Also yesterday, Chairman of the Bayelsa State Council of Traditional Rulers and Ibenanaowei of Ekpetiama Kingdom, King Bubaraye Dakolo and the Ijaw National Congress (INC) kicked against the reported plan by the Federal Government to scrap the PAP.
The INC spoke through its Second Vice President, Chief Nengi James.
In separate interviews in Yenagoa, the monarch and the INC spokesman, said PAP had contributed immensely to the country’s unity, sustenance of peace in the Niger Delta and increased oil and gas production.
According to them, the programme had assisted the Federal Government in huge revenue running to several millions from the sales of oil and gas in 12 years.
Dakolo specifically commended President Muhammadu Buhari for appointing Gen. Ndiomu.
He, however, advised that PAP should be sustained so that the youths of the region would have more opportunities to be trained and empowered to become useful citizens of the region.
James, who is also the Bayelsa State Chairman of the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), argued that “despite the challenges of control and misapplication of priorities in terms of training and funding, PAP should be sustained.”