A group with the name, Niger Delta Integrity Group (NDIG) has berated attempt by some ex-millitants and contractors to tarnish the image of the Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Gen. Tariye Barry Ndiomu (rtd).
The NDIG in a statement made available to Newsmen in Yenagoa noted that it was rather surprising that the said ex-agitors could petition the Presidential Amnesty boss inspite his numerous efforts being harness to reform the Programme.
National Wire learnt that some ex-agitators had recently wrote a petition to the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), alleging financial mismanagement by the Maj. Gen. Barry Ndiomu(rtd) led Presidential Amnesty Programme.
The NDIG convener, Dr. Boma Horsfall described the claims of alleged diversion of PAP funds by Ndiomu which was recently published in some news platforms as untrue, baseless, unfounded, and a clear case of a sponsored attempt to cause distraction to the good works of the new PAP administration.
The group also expressed utmost dismay on how some Ijaws have allegedly chosen to remain non-futuristic, disunited and are sticking to the culture of pulling down each other, exhibiting the ‘Pulling Down Syndrome’.
He said: “We recall how the likes of Brig. Gen. Paul Boro (rtd), late Prof. Charles Dokubo and others who are of Ijaw ethnic extraction were pulled down by our own people.
“It is sad that people of the Niger Delta region have maintained the trend of writing petitions to drag each other, rather than focusing on things that will move the Niger Delta region forward, recalling that there was a time when a northerner was appointed on Interim basis to head the PAP and was not petitioned.
“We have it on good authority that a portfolio contractor identified as Andrew Pinneh and his associates, had been threatening to blackmail the Interim Administrator for refusing to pay him a dubious sum of N1.5 billion.
The statement from the NDIG convener also read in parts: “The said contractor who owns NYEEAP SYNERGY CONSULTING LIMITED never delivers on contracts awarded to him, and has been doing so in connivance with a suspected mole in the PAP Accounts Department.
“We also have it on record that the contractor was one of those used by late Dokubo to run fraudulent errands both in Nigeria and in the UK during the latter’s time as Interim Administrator of the PAP.
“To the best of the knowledge of NDIG, the Presidential Amnesty Programme receives a monthly budgetary allocation of N5bn out of which over N3.8bn is exhausted on paying monthly stipends of ex-agitators with bulk payments to their leaders, who are called the ‘Big Five’, educational scholarships are also facilitated from this monthly fund.
“Unpaid contractors are settled from same fund, the day-to-day running of the PAP office, stakeholders engagement meetings, salaries of staff, are all sorted from the monthly allocation and wondered what will be left to be diverted. The said sum of N12bn being diverted as laughable and unrealistic.
“The group of disgruntled elements have only been provoked by the refusal of Gen. Ndiomu to dance to their tune and the strictness of the Committee set-up by the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) which recommended that contractors who did not execute their contracts should not be paid.
“We are aware that majority of these ex-agitators are jobless and can be used as a tool for destruction but expressed satisfaction with the performance of General Ndiomu who is working tirelessly to create sustainable livelihoods for them and called on them to desist from being used as tools of destabilization.
“We urge General Ndiomu to publish the fabricated job report done by the so called contractors, so the world will see the dubious nature of these characters and also take the bold step of identifying and removing the moles in his office working together with these enemies of progress”.
