PAP: Ex-agitators threatening me are strangers in Niger Delta struggle -Ozobo

The National President of Ijaw People’s Development Initiative, IPDI has raised alarm over threats from some ex-agitators following his fallouts with the Interim Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Major General Barry Ndiomu for his move to suspend the scholarship scheme and other sundry issues of the programme.

The IPDI boss who said he had been receiving threats from some suspected ex-agitators, said he is not scared but very resolute in pursuing the course of repositioning the amnesty programme, adding that Gen Barry Ndiomu should be an agent of positive change and not make himself a problem to the smooth running of the amnesty programme.

While describing ex-agitators threatening and hunting for him as strangers in the Niger Delta struggle, Ozobo said the lack of focus by the majority of the ex-agitators is the reason for the failure of the amnesty programme.

He made this assertion in a press statement sent to newsmen in Asaba on Tuesday.

Ozobo maintained that he was only speaking for the implementation of the various phases of the amnesty programme but some selfish ex-agitators who lacked focus and had swiftly deviated from the rudiments of the Niger Delta struggle had continued to threaten him with brimstone.

He highlighted the various phases of the programme to be disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration which included educational/skill training and empowerment programmes, adding that the reintegration phase is a huge failure.

He narrated, “It is about 14 years into the programme and there are concerns that the programme has derailed from its original objectives due to unstable characters that are managing the affairs of the programme.

“My concern is that like most bureaucratic institutions in Nigeria, PAP has suffered from a lack of transparency, consistency, and efficient management of resources. The programme has been characterized by a vision targeted only towards reducing threats to oil production and nothing more, but this is a sharp deviation.

“A genuine agitator will not sigh away from the fact that the programme has been marred by corruption, nepotism, prebendal and patrimonial acts.

“I’m a core agitator, I cannot allow strangers in the struggle to intimidate me and sabotage it. I know the true agitators and the strangers in the struggle.

“I’m not surprised that people are trying to liberate me from captivity and position things for the same people rebelling against me. It is not strange to me because it happened to Moses when some faithless Israelites told Moses to allow them to die in Egypt when they drew close to the red sea. This shows that ex-agitators threatening me are the enemies of themselves and the Niger Delta region. I will continue to speak out with or without the threat. Those who want to go to court should go and others who plan to attack me should continue, I’m not deterred,” he added.

He, therefore, insisted that the current PAP coordinator should without further delay restore the scholarship scheme, recall suspended students, resolve every BVN-related challenge in the programme, and improve on the reintegration phase of the programme.