The Bayelsa State Chapter of the Ex-agitators’ Leadership forum, has intensified calls for the immediate removal of the interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Gen. Barry Ndiomu, for threatening the peace enjoyed in the region by redirecting the programme to suit personal ambition.
In a statement issued on Sunday in Yenagoa, the Chairman of the first phase ex-agitators leadership forum, General Charles James Kurobo noted that “Gen. Ndiomu’s deft ears and blind eyes towards the first phase leaders from Bayelsa State can no longer be condoned” and that they’re being forced to return to the streets by the leadership style of the interim Administrator.
While, applauding the the Managing Director of NDDC, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, for his efforts in repositioning the NDDC for continuous improvement, the ex-agitator leaders advised the NDDC boss not to align with Gen. Barry Ndiomu who is under persistent calls for suspension and immediate arrest for abnormalities.
The forum said “the reigning peace in the region is sustained to attract investors” has become a common saying or slogan, so-to-say and we are no longer comfortable when components set up by the federal government to sustain the peace enjoyed so far are the ones pushing the said peace to fragility.
“We appreciate Dr. Ogbuku for his efforts to repositioning the NDDC for continuous improvement and applaud such laudable achievement but aligning with Gen. Barry Ndiomu at the time of persistent calls for his suspension and immediate arrest is not in the best interest of the NDDC boss and we advice him not to join issues bedeviling the Ex-agitators’ Leadership forum, Bayelsa State Chapter of especially the first phase leaders and the PAP with the NDDC.
“We have done our best and we know it. We also appreciate the world’s knowledge on the corporate ways of addressing issues beyond street agitations but it is also our responsibility to let the world know the appointees mandated by the federal government in some quarters, to manage and sustain the peace, are those pushing us back to the streets because they flourish more during chaos and crisis.
“For as much as we don’t want to be seen as gullible for such antics, Gen. Ndiomu’s deft ears and blind eyes towards the first phase leaders from Bayelsa State can no longer be condoned because we are overstretched already.
“You can not expect us to stay off the streets by deliberately subjecting us to penury and to be honest, we are at the end of that line because the IA has given us no room,” they said.
Calling on the President, H.E Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to suspend the interim Administrator of PAP as his continued stay in office may spark another regional crisis from ex-militants who genuinely gave up arms, the ex-agitators noted that Gen. Ndiomu is continually creating room for a crisis by forming and appointing groups on their behalf and introducing figures that are not justifiable.
“We honestly can not continue like this. We have made series of appeals over the state of the PAP under Major Gen. Barry Ndiom’s deplorable behavior and we, the Ex-agitators’ leadership forum, Bayelsa State chapter are saying we can not take this anymore! We are once again calling on the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to immediately suspend and arrest the interim Administrator of the PAP as his continued stay in office may spark another regional crisis from ex-militants who genuinely gave up arms.
“He is continually creating room for a crisis he cannot manage by initiating appointments on our behalf and introducing figures we can not identify or point out there roles during the struggle.
It’s never been heard about such an office as ‘The national Chairman of Ex-agitators’.
“Sponsoring people for publications with titles just so they attend secret meetings like the one held in Port Harcourt recently where the NDDC played host, was not in the interest of peace or the Ex-agitators’ Leadership forum because chapters were in attendance, including Bayelsa State, meaning we were not invited. How then do you sustain peace under such measure? It could either be a clear attempt to undermine and distort or a clear lack of competence to manage and sustain existing peace,” they said.
Explaining that the Interim Administrator has lost focus and mobilizing people with no idea of the struggle against the actual beneficiaries, the ex-agitators noted that the PAP office under Gen. Ndiomu is now characterized with lack of transparency, mismanagement of resources allocated to the program, favoritism and support meant for Ex-agitators been grossly misappropriated.
“People with no idea of our pains before and during the struggle cannot be seen as our leaders after peace has been restored for this long. This, we will resist by any means necessary.
“We are hereby calling on the National Security Adviser (NSA), the Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) the CG, NSCDC, to urgently intervene and redirect the steps to the context and goals of the Presidential Amnesty Program and see to it that it’s original objectives that typically began with an official announcement and declaration by the Nigerian government in 2009, where eligibility and benefits were offered to former militants who participated in the region, as a foundation.
“There are clear indications of how the Interim Administrator has lost focus and seen the actual beneficiaries as enemies which has put us under intense pressure and frantic calls seeking solutions to issues and redress concerning PAP office has not been fruitful. Unfortunately, a lot of questions like; “who are these people claiming to be representing Ex-agitators and what do they represent?
“People hired by Gen. Ndiomu are obviously not helping matters because they can not best advice him in areas requiring practical field experience to do so. We have been taken for granted for far too long by the IA and we see him taking advantage of the fact that after realizing the benefits of dialogue and toeing the line of peace, our hands are tied to act otherwise. I advice the retired general to have a rethink.
“Lack of transparency, mismanagement of resources allocated to the program and favoritism resulting in the benefits not reaching the intended beneficiaries and while the rehabilitation and reintegration phase were well-intended, the support meant for Ex-agitators has been grossly misappropriated, giving room to peace fragility.
“The inadequate support for education, job placement and societal reintegration has kept us under pressure, seeing that some of the ex-militants the I.A has pushed to the wall don’t fall back to violence or criminal activities and calls to get Gen. Ndiomu’s attention on the way forward to these situations we seek solutions to, has constantly fallen on deft ears because he has derailed and clearly lost focus due to his quest to redirect the program to suit his personal ambition and for this reason, we appeal for the redemption of the PAP office from Gen. Barry Ndiomu through the offices mentioned above.
“Instead of concentrating on goals of the program, Gen. Ndiomu’s lack of sustainable livelihood opportunities for the reintegration has led to extreme frustration among Ex-agitators, making some more susceptible to regrouping for an unproductive course,” they added.