PAP: Ex-agitators dare Ndiomu over threat to arrest protesters, want NSA to prevail

Protesting aggrieved ex-agitators have accused the Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Major Gen.Barry Tariye Ndiomu (Retd) of secret plans to arrest ex-agitators who want to stage protest in PAP Abuja office.

A group under the auspices of Phase 1, 2 & 3 multiple BVN accounts affected ex-agitators led by Julius Joseph and others on Friday said they would continue the proposed protest despite threat to arrest them by the PAP administrator.

In a statement signed by the convener Mr Julius Joseph which was sent to newsmen on Friday alleged, “Ndiomu destructive agenda started with ending the amnesty programme, to delisting of beneficiaries, to suspension of fresh scholarship & vocational training and finally stopping of payment of more than 7,000 genuine beneficiaries on the claim of irregularities”.

According to him, the information was initially considered as rumours but with the repeated negative reactions and continuous turning down attempts to meet with him to discuss a way out had proved that the information was accurate.

The statement which titled, “DON’T DRAG THE NSA NAME TO THE MUD, WE ARE COMING TO ABUJA, AFFECTED GROUP LED BY JULIUS JOSEPH REPLY NDIOMU”, said: “Ndiomu should not bring the National Security Adviser into his plans to cover his evil activities which centered on rendering patriotic Niger Delta youths under the presidential amnesty programme incapacitated. Ndiomu destructive agenda started with ending the amnesty programme, to delisting of beneficiaries, to suspension of fresh scholarship & vocational training and finally stopping of payment of more than 7,000 genuine beneficiaries on the claim of irregularities. What do you really think Ndiomu is looking for? Do you really believe that Ndiomu mean well for the Niger Delta people? Are there no better things Ndiomu can do to better the lives of the Niger Delta people?”

“It is on record that Ndiomu promised a lot of things but after six months, he has practically achieved nothing apart from suspension of the amnesty fresh scholarship and delisting/ stopping payment of beneficiaries with a correctable BVN issues.

The statement reads, “Ndiomu as stated earlier doesn’t want to resolve the multiple accounts because six month was enough time to resolve internal issues like this. An issue that the office is also aware and the office amnesty office has been making payment into the various accounts for more than five years.

“The reasons was to enable the leaders have control and manage their followers. It was purely conflict control mechanic. What about those leaders receiving millions in one account (bulk payment) for onward disbursement. Was it not for the same reason? The only difference is the method. The amnesty programme was created to buy peace, therefore the initial managers thought it wise to apply methods in tandem with the situation at hand and it has produced overwhelming result. Therefore whatever that is discovered along the line that goes contrary to the acceptable standard was or is expected to be corrected and internally handled for the sake of the relative peace and the over all success of the programme.

“We therefore use this available medium to appeal to all well-meaning Niger Delta Governors, Senators, Rep members, traditional rulers, INC, IYC, former and serving military officers, etc to prevail on Ndiomu to accept a replacement of those accounts to avoid the avoidable”, he added.