Ex-militant leaders and stakeholders from the Niger Delta region have, again, raised alarm over the delisting of 3,548 beneficiaries from the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) in a bid to terminate the programme by the 31st December 2022 deadline, urging the Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Major General Barry Tariye Ndiomu (rtd.) to reinstate those affected.
According to the ex-militant leaders, in a statement via electronic mail, and signed by former ex-militant leader, General Boma Inewariku, alleged that those delisted from Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) without due consultation with the stakeholders include, Single slots: 2954, Bulk: 594, the breakdown of Bulk: King Ateke’s camp: 287, GOC Tompolo’s camp: 227, General Boyloaf’s camp, 80 which they claimed is a grand total: 3,548 and equals ₦230,620,000.00 per month, and the affected beneficiaries might no longer receive their monthly stipends.”
They also claimed that other ex-militant leaders’ camps scheduled to be delisted are: Pastor Reuben Wilson, Abraham Ingobere (AKA Lami – Speaker, Bayelsa State Assembly), Eris Paul (AKA Ogun-Boss), Joshua Macaiver, and others. Inewariku said, “these are legitimate and budgeted payments that Ndiomu has cut-off from thousands of Niger Delta families, just as the recent flood has ravaged lands across the region, thousands are displaced with hundreds dead, and poverty and mass starvation looms.”
They called on the Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Major General Barry Tariye Ndiomu (rtd.) to reinstate the 3,548 Amnesty beneficiaries. “Are the thousands of families across our region that will no longer receive their Amnesty monthly payments under Ndiomu not from Ijaw land? Is Ndiomu the only Ijaw man? All these known sycophants that have turned Ndiomu’s spokesmen should search their conscience and ask God to give them the courage to resist the temptation of selling out their family and region for a pot of plantain, yam, or beans-portage. These Ndiomu’s spokesmen should call the leaders of the Amnesty programme to verify whether these beneficiaries were not delisted from their various camps or not, and whether their monthly payments were not cut-down, to ascertain the truth.”
“How can these people continue to support Ndiomu that is publicly fighting against the interest of the Ijaw Nation and our region in order to close-down the only programme that is of such strategic importance to our people. There are many federal intervention programmes with budgets of billions of naira across the north and no one hears about them, or even thinks of shutting them down.”
The former ex-militant leader, General Boma Inewariku also claimed that the Amnesty Boss – Ndiomu, had in a meeting with Amnesty staff during a four hours retreat on 5th October 2022 at the Sheraton Resort, FCT. Abuja, was quoted at stating that “my mandate is to urgently terminate the Amnesty Programme, that’s why I was appointed for this job.”
Inewariku stated that, Ndiomu’s aide who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of being sacked said, “my boss is under pressure to delist 10,000 beneficiaries by 31st December termination deadline, which translate to ₦650million per month, while the remaining 20,000 plus beneficiaries will be transferred to other ministries next year.”
Inewariku further stated that, we will continue to remind Nigerians that on the 17th August 2022, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited, Mallam Mele Kyari, stated that, “the country was currently losing about $1.9billion monthly to the activities of oil theft, with its attendant effect on environmental degradation.” Over ₦1.2trillion worth of crude oil are stolen by our nation’s elite criminals from the lands and shores of our suffering people across the Niger Delta region on a monthly basis.”
The former ex-militant leader, General Boma Inewariku stated that as previously reported, “the presidency is utilising billions of naira exploited from the Niger Delta region to train and rehabilitate Boko-Haram terrorists, and Islamic States of West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists that have killed and maimed thousands of innocent Nigerians while millions of Nigerians are displaced by the actions of these terrorists.”
Also, “upon President Muhammadu Buhari assuming office in 2015, and without wasting anytime, in July 2015, the federal government obtained a $2.1 billion USD credit from the World Bank to rebuild the North-East zone devastated by their so-called repentant Boko-Haram terrorists, and Islamic States of West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists.”
“Since then, the Presidency has continued to spend billions of dollars (Trillions of Naira) in the North-Eastern region that financially contributes almost zero to our nation’s treasury. Whereas the Presidential Amnesty Programme that have contributed to the unity of Nigeria, sustained the peace in the Niger Delta region with increased volumes of oil and gas production, and assisted the federal government in generating excess revenues of over $300billion USD from the sales of oil and gas products within the past twelve years, has not seen the amount of money that has been poured into the North-Eastern region since the inception of the PAP,” the statement reads.
