There is palpable tension in the Niger Delta region as the Chairman of the Niger Delta First Phase Ex-agitators’ Leadership Forum, Bayelsa State Chapter, High Chief. Charles Kurobo, has raised the alarm that the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), has delisted the running mate to the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State from its payroll.
According to him, the investigation of the forum revealed that the Interim Administrator of the PAP, Gen. Barry Ndiomu (rtd), without any reasonable course directed that all the entitlements of the APC Guber running mate, Great Joshua MacIver, who was the first to embrace the amnesty program with over 200 followers, should be withdrawn.
Several attempts to reach the amnesty office for comments proved abortive at the time of filling this report, however, the ex-agitators have said that they may be forced to resort to extreme measures to resolving the anomalies since efforts to make the PAP boss see reasons with them has continued to fall on deaf ears.
The group said that the height of the controversy is when the PAP claimed that Great Maciver, a major critical stakeholder of the first phase ex-agitators who surrendered arms alongside his foot soldiers numbering well above 200 from his own personal camp and have remained beneficiaries of the programme with their ID Card numbers and monthly stipends is no longer part of the programme.
The statement that was issued in Yenagoa by
Kurobo read “sequel to appeals and complains concerning the style and gross lack of integrity of the Presidential Amnesty Program (PAP) office under the current administrator, we are writing to notify the National Security Adviser (NSA) of the lingering controversies between the office and its beneficiaries.
“His actions has continued to put pressure on the leadership of the forum with limited resources to douse the tension while calls for the attention of Ndiomu has continuously fallen deft ears and we have almost exhausted the immediate and most preferred formal means of communication in trying to reach out to the leadership of the PAP as beneficiaries and stakeholders of the Region.
“We have been receiving series of complains over non payment of monthly stipends from a large number of the PAP beneficiaries which has kept us awake most nights and while we continue to apply corporate and more responsible measures of going about it.
“The Interim Administrator has further dared us to claim that one of our own, De-Great Joshua Maciver, a major critical stakeholder of the first phase ex-agitator who surrendered arms alongside his foot soldiers numbering well above 200 from his own personal Camp alone were captured and have remained beneficiaries of the programme with their ID Card numbers and monthly stipends.
“Yet, Ndiomu deem them unworthy, according to his media publications, such critical major stakeholder who is a popularly and notably well known leader in the PAP Database is suddenly not on the database of the PAP, a situation which has made Gen, Ndiomu feel he is a political tool by this singular act, making us feel he has bitten more than enough!
“Why Bayelsa? Why now ? Would Gen. Barry Ndiomu had done same if Joshua Maciver shared his political interest? Or If Ex-militants are not fit for political offices across the region, why then do we have one of our own (Rt. Hon Abraham Ingobere) as speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly ?
“We are appealing and looking up to the NSA, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, with the hope that a swift action will be taken to avert the crisis Ndiomu is trying to create because we feel pushed too close to the edge already. We will not be swayed by Ndiomu as it has become clear that he is not on the side of Peace.”