-Hail Ndiomu over outstanding performance at PAP
From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Former militant leaders from the six states of the Niger Delta region have faulted the call by some elders and stakeholders from the region for the replacement of Major General Tariye Barry Ndiomu (rtd) as the Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) over alleged divided attention and distraction due to his recent appointment as the Chairman of the 11-man committee on the Special Investigative Panel on Oil Theft in the region.
According to the ex-militant leaders under the aegis of the Niger Delta Advocate for Peace Good Governance and Anti-Corruption Network Campaign (NAPGGAN) the call for Ndiomu’s replacement lacks merit, ill-advised and mischievous as the key stakeholders including the beneficiaries of the amnesty programme and ex-agitators were not consulted.
NAPGGAN after an emergency meeting which had in attendance national coordinator, Fiawei Pathfinder, deputy national coordinator, Bekes Apere, and Secretary, AK Peters, said the call by leaders under the Movement for the Sustainable Development of the Niger Delta, MSDND, was suspicious and a clear attempt to put a wedge in the cordial relationship between the National Security Adviser, NSA, Maj. Gen. Babagana Monguno (rtd.) and Ndiomu
The NAPGGAN in a communiqué issued after the meeting debunked all the claims made in the purported letter addressed to the NSA, declaring that they do not have the mandate to speak for the people of the Niger Delta.
It reads, “They are not speaking for the Niger Delta people neither are they speaking for the over 30,000 ex- agitators cut across the nine states that are undergoing training in the amnesty program in the region. They are just being used to cause disaffection, and whatever they have stated should be discarded and ignored because they are errand boys of detractors who do not mean well for the presidential amnesty program under Barry Ndiomu to succeed neither do they mean well for the overall development of the Niger Delta region”.
“ For the short time Barry Ndiomu has been in office there has been tremendous reforms taking place in the Amnesty office, which has brought about sanity and discipline put in place along with cardinal direction to achieve the much desired goals of transparency and accountability in the entire PAP, of which the ex-agitators themselves have publicly attested to for timely prompt payment of monthly stipends direct to the various beneficiaries bank accounts.
“Gen Ndiomu has resolved and is working hard to change the narrative to improve employment of not just more than one per cent of those who have been trained and also went on scholarship as he is engaging with heads of government agencies, ministries, Head of Service of the Federation and Service Chiefs to secure a lifetime lucrative job opportunities for ex-militants after training programme. By these laudable steps Ndiomu has taken so far, we believe it will yield positive results as soon as possible.