President Muhammadu Buhari recently authorised the overhaul of the 11-year-old Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) so that its dividends can better benefit its original target beneficiaries. Some stakeholders believe the appointment of Col. Milland Dixion Dikio (rtd) to shepherd the process was the right one, but that there are several things he must do to succeed, writes ROBERT EGBE.
THE Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) was designed by the Federal Government to restore oil production to pre-amnesty level and reduce the scale of insecurity in the region. Part of its provision is to support ex-militants with monthly stipends, as well as providing vocational and university education as part of its Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) process.
PAP has now existed for more than 10 years, well beyond the planned five years, with only a part of its objectives fulfilled and no end in sight.
Worried about the situation, President Muhammadu Buhari disengaged Professor Charles Dokubo as PAP Coordinator and on August 21, replaced him with Col. Milland Dikio (rtd).
Dikio set to work reforming the PAP almost immediately and on October 10, revealed that the PAP owed its contractors over N712billion spent on unverifiable projects.
He said the Programme meant to deliver sustainable peace and human development, wasted the resources allocated by the Federal government
“The lessons we are learning points to a systemic problem with the programme structure that permits abuse of trust and processes.
According to him, the programme, conceived by former President Umaru Yar’adua to last for only a few years, had suffered from endemic corruption
He said President Buhari increased its allocation from N35billion to N65billion to ensure that the ex-agitators were properly trained and reintegrated into the civil society.
“Regrettably, the Programme has now been running for 11 years without the desired benefits delivered to the ex-agitators.
“Rather, the ex-agitator database was dishonestly corrupted, and several contracts were awarded in total disregard of need and procurement processes.
“Consequently, the programme is currently owing contractors N71,411,646,210.68.”
Dokio said this informed the President’s decision to overhaul the Programme aimed at ensuring that the dividends of the Amnesty Programme reach its original target beneficiaries, adding that development and security of the Niger Delta Region was also a top priority.
National Coalition of Niger Delta Ex-Agitators (NCNDEA) Coordinator Israel Eshanekpe, alias Akpodoro, is convinced that the overhaul is necessary.
Delta State-born Eshanekpe, who doubles as the Coordinator, Urhobo Youths Forum for Change (UYFC), said Dokio has started well but has his work cut out to weed the PAP of corruption.
He said: “It’s a revolution that is ongoing and like I said before now, the choice of Col. Milland Dikio, is a perfect one by the President through the NSA (National Security Adviser). But the good news shouldn’t end with the appointment of an Interim Administrator.
“Col. Dikio has a lot of internal cleansing to do because those who derailed former coordinators are still very much around him and until he shows them the exit, we won’t heave a sigh of relief because there’s a cabal in the Amnesty office that specialises in undermining the good of the beneficiaries of the programme for their personal interest.”
Who or what is this cabal? Eshanekpe offered ideas.
He said: “There is a handful of persons in that office who are extremely corrupt and sleaze is infectious no matter how good intention the Coordinator may have. Look at the ‘XYZ Department’ and others. The officials have been there through successive regimes but remain there irrespective of several indictments in underhand dealings. They survive the same because they also ‘settle’ others.”
Eshanekpe advised whoever wants to survive PAP Coordinator to shun materialism.
“It will take a non-materialistic administrator to ensure these characters are thrown out of the office. There are those in that office who scoop official information, misinform the ex-militants, twist the same to suit their narratives to cause disaffection which often ends up in protests across the region and cause hate for the Coordinator and now Administrator,” he claimed.
As to what such persons’ gain would be, Eshanekpe explained: “Their gain is to force whoever is the head to do their bidding. That office shouldn’t be exclusive of anyone and so, Col. Dikio should weed out bad elements if he wants to succeed.”
In September, the presidential panel headed by National Security Adviser (NSA) Gen Babagana Monguno (retd), indicted three former coordinators of PAP and 17 ex-militant leaders of allegedly looting the funds meant for rehabilitation of beneficiaries of the programme.
Eshanekpe offered insights on the matter.
He said: “After the sack of the former Coordinator and the subsequent probe of the activities of the programme, I called the NSA and he assured me that he was out to do his best for the benefit of the Niger Delta region and this I have seen. In the appointment Dikio, it’s a new dawn in the programme.” He urged the NSA to investigate the tenure of the former Coordinator, Prof. Dokubo.
Eshanekpe is also the C.E.O of Agimor Security Company Ltd, and he offered insight on a dispute concerning OML30 which runs through Urhobo parts of the region and is managed by Ocean Marines Solution.
He warned that if not handled carefully, the situation might lead to agitation.
Eshanekpe said: “OML30 pipelines surveillance job was initially awarded to ERASKORP NIGERIA LTD before it was awarded to Ocean Marines Solution Ltd, OMSL.”
He claimed that on taking over the surveillance job, OMSL disengaged all the ex-militants that were initially engaged and paid. It recruited its choice of workers.
According to him, this left ex-militants “who fought for the good of the region in limbo.
The ex-militants, he explained, had held meeting(s) with the Management of OMSL to right the perceived wrongs.
He said: “Several meetings were initiated by the Coalition of ex-militants. The Military Task Force in the region advised the management. The Presidency also intervened but that company stuck to its guns and now, I’ve read in the newspapers that the organisation is asking ex-militants to liaise with community President-Generals (PGs)for succour.
“How else can ex-militants be insulted? For how long can we bear this calculated attempt to disempower former warriors who made the surveillance contracts possible in the first place? Must ex-militants be always goaded into making trouble?
“The way forward is that on no account should the ex-militants be subjugated to community PGs because we operate at different levels. OMSL should call a roundtable meeting and give jobs to the ex-militants because none of us will go and meet any PG, but we usually have our own way of resolving issues like this.
“At the right time, the people of Nigeria will hear from us if OMSL refuses to do the needful. When Eraskorp Nigeria Ltd, was handling the surveillance contract, everyone was carried along.
“Also, the surveillance companies should engage their workers especially ex-militants favourably along ethnic lines. An Urhobo man should be allowed to protect oil and gas facilities in his domain, the same goes for other ethnic nationalities. You cannot know Isoko land more than an indigenous Isoko man.”
The ex-militant also assessed the NDDC under the management of the Interim Management Committee (IMC).
He said: “I score IMC zero. Does that body need IMC? No!” He said the way forward is for the President to dissolve “the so-called IMC and inaugurate the substantive board whose screening he applied for in the Senate and they were so screened and approved to take over.
“The Pius Odubu and Bernard Okumagba board should be immediately inaugurated for a better and stronger intervention agency for the development of our region. The fainting bunch should be swept off for a legitimate board to take over.”
Leave a Reply