No Niger Delta Monarch, Elder Call For Ndiomu’s Sack – NDIG Insists

By Sola Omoniyi, Lagos

A group under the auspices of the Niger Delta Integrity Group (NDIG) has debunked claims that Elders, Traditional Rulers and other “ominous” groups have called for the sack of the Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Major General Barry Ndiomu (rtd).

In a statement issued on Friday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, by Dr. Boma Horsfall, Convener of the NDIG, stated unequivocally that the Ndiomu who had enormous respect for traditional institutions enjoyed a cordial relationship with the monarchs and elders in the Niger Delta region.

Horsfall maintained that the strong affinity of leaders and Ndiomu had been demonstrated in his series of meetings with the traditional rulers and other critical stakeholders across the region, during which he had engaged them on innovate policies to bring the teeming youths out of the dark and create sustainable livelihoods for them.

“The NDIG after conducting due diligence and investigation, discovered that these resentful elements who issued a misleading statement titled: ‘Amnesty Fraud: Stakeholders write Tinubu, halt N5.6b fraudulent payment hanging on GIFMIS platform, seek immediate hand-over to the most senior director’, are not ex-agitators and are fictitious designations that are not captured in the PAP database.

“For the records, their claims are false and non-existent. It is disappointing that they have now descended to an all-time low level of lunacy. Who are the purported Elders and Traditional Rulers that endorsed the statement? It is public knowledge that all critical stakeholders of the Niger Delta region, including Elders and Traditional Rulers, are in full support of Ndiomu’s undertakings at the PAP. These are people he has constantly and continuously engaged with,” he said.

While affirming that General Ndiomu is widely loved and accepted across the region, the NDIG urged the Interim Administrator “not to be deterred by the whims and caprices of a few dishonest elements who are displaying the shortsighted physiognomies of some of our people”.

“Thus, the general public is advised to disregard such sponsored statements from these unprincipled individuals who have in the past come forth with fraudulent and bogus contract claims that PAP has refused to attend to. They have in the past been fished out as those having multiple accounts linked to one BVN, fraudulently collecting monthly stipends for many years.

“The NDIG commends General Ndiomu on the recently launched Cooperative Scheme, and considers it one of the best ways to create windows of opportunities for youths in the region,” the statement added.