The Mayor of Urhoboland, Eshanakpe Israel a.k.a Akpodoro, has described the call made by the Association of Contractors/Vendors and Stakeholders of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, PAP on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to probe the five billion naira monthly allocation to the intervention agency as mischivious, ill-motivated and a calculated attempt at blackmailing the current administration of the programme, Dr. Dennis Burutu Otuaro.
He noted that Otùaro’s sin against the so-called association is that he is standing upright and resisting attempts by morally bankrupt contractors and vendors to armtwist him into toeing the lines of the past managers of the programme.
Mayor Akpodoro, who is a former warlord and critical stakeholder in the amnesty programme, said against the “lies of the association and whipping up fears of crisis in the region”, there’s peace among the stakeholders and in the Niger Delta region generally saying since the inception of Dr. Otuaro, ex-militants are paid as at when due, stakeholders are carried along in the day to day activities of the PAP wondering where the “Success Ebiere-led Association of fear mongers saw crisis in the region.”
According to the fearless mayor, most persons who claim to be contractors are those who sponsor protests and misgivings against the PAP managers in the past and present.
He said: “Ask them to show proof of a single contract awarded them and executed by their firms, you will find out that their claims are false. What they do is to run to the press, issue threats, and blackmail their targets for pecuniary benefits.”
Contractors, according to the Urhobo-born ex-militant leader, are the bane of the Amnesty Programme and for a long time they have backpeddaled human and material development in the region by holding the PAP hostage and fleecing it to its bone marrow.”
The Mayor called on the Amnesty boss to disregard such ‘self-serving forces of discord’ and never be intimidated by those who live their lives on bullying the regional agencies established to cater for the region saying, the moment their interests are not met, they go on “blackmail spree” stating that Dr. Otuaro is new in the office and that calling for the probe of the programme under him is the most uncharitable thing to say.
The leadership of that group should tell Nigerians what contracts they executed to warrant the media attack launched against the office of the Amnesty Coordinator, adding “They claimed to have been owed for two years. Why didn’t they cry out before the appointment of Dr. Otuaro?”
He recalled that Dr. Otuaro inherited over 100bn naira in debt and liabilities from his precedessor, a development he said heaped a lot of pressure on the management of PAP. Most of the debts he said stem from the shoddy activities of self-acclaimed contractors/ vendors who make no positive impact in the life of the intervention agency.
“Their outburst is pregnant with mischief and evil concupiscence. Nobody can destabilise Niger Delta region under any guise and not even under the current administration that’s doing everything possible to ensure a better and stronger Nigeria.
“If they are legitimate contractors,they should follow due process to request their payment and not media noise. Tying their so-called indebtedness to imaginary looming dangers in the region is an insult to commonsense and must be condemned by all. Stop attacking the hardworking Dr. Otuaro,” the former warrior stated.
Not done, Mayor Akpodoro called on President Tinubu to decountenance such calls he described as vicious campaign of calumny against the federal government and its agencies saying, most person are bellyaching over the progress being made by the Tinubu’s administration.
He said: “A call by such unknown group should be disregarded by the president and security searchlight beamed on the characters behind such reckless call capable of fueling division among the peaceful people of the region while the National Security Adviser to the President, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, should go after fear mongers who intend destabilising the Delta region for personal aggrandisement and for want of questionable patronage.”
