PAP: Ex-agitators write open letter to president-elect, Bola Tinubu over move to divert N2 billion to reimburse suspended accounts

•Accuse Ndiomu of inciting unrest in N/Delta

• Demand payment of suspended 3,000 accounts

By Sola Omoniyi, Lagos

The leadership of the Coalition of Niger Delta Ex-agitators have again written an open letter to the president-elect Bola Tinubu over the suspension of close to 3,000 beneficiaries’ accounts with multiple BVN challenges and what they described as inciting fresh hostility in the region by the actions of the interim administrator of the Niger Delta Amnesty Programme, Maj Gen Barry Ndiomu.

The letter which was signed by Leader Julius Joseph – National chairman of phase 3,
Leader Tam Odogwu (‘PhD’), critical stakeholders’ phase 3 and Leader JOHN ESUKU
had accused Ndiomu (rtd) of alleged plans to run away with the almost two billion nairas meant for the suspended and unpaid Ex-agitators. They asserted that they would continue to resist Ndiomu’s plans to create problems for the incoming government by disorganizing the prevailing peace in the region.

The ex-agitators in the open letter titled: “CALL FOR URGENT INTERVENTION TO AVERT THE LOOMING FRESH HOSTILITY IN THE NIGER DELTA REGION” said: “It is indeed unfortunate that the Niger Delta Ex-agitators are forced to welcome you with an issue that ordinarily could be solved by any administrator who understands the Niger Delta issues, the core purpose for the establishment of the Amnesty Programme which was to demobilize the agitators from the creeks has helped to increase and stabilized the crude oil production. Therefore, any policy or initiative to send a single ex-agitator back to the creeks to vandalize the pipeline should be taken as anti-progressive, counter-productive and anti-APC government.”

The protesting ex-agitators explained that the Interim Administrator, Maj. Gen. Barry Tariye Ndiomu (rtd) October and November suspended the stipend (feeding allowance) of over two thousand ex-agitators for perceived irregularities and refused to pay even after a series of intervention calls from critical stakeholders.

The former warlords reiterated that the leadership of the Coalition of Niger Delta Ex-agitators and members had been in Abuja for over a month to meet with the Amnesty Interim Administrator, Maj. Gen Ndiomu (Rtd) for a workable solution but all peaceful attempts to resolve the impasse was turned down by Ndiomu, stating that if their concerns are not addressed urgently it could degenerate into fresh hostility in the region.

According to the ex-fighters, the amnesty programme is not a perfectly established institution that must be free from errors or irregularities, therefore it is expected that any manager of the programme is duty-bound to correct any identified irregularity for the good and betterment of those affected and not the other way around, a fact the PAP coordinator, Ndiomu needs to be enlightened on the security implication of his actions.

The letter reads, “Your Excellency sir, our suspicion regarding Maj Gen. Ndiomu’s motive for stopping “the” stipends of 3,000 ex-agitators under the presidential amnesty programme for over seven months for perceived irregularities/sanitization of the payment system has been proven correct with the recent online publication by Maj Gen Barry Tariye Ndiomu (Rtd) media group (STRATCOM). The group as directed by Ndiomu, (Rtd) debunked the fact that about 3,000 delegates under the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) were being suspended since last year October/November and went further claiming again that his boss, Ndiomu has duly paid the suspended beneficiaries. The Strategic Communication Committee (STRATCOM), are Ndiomu’s well-paid media representative, therefore will go to any length to defeat the boss. It is a group of persons misinforming him for the sake of the interest of their pockets Their claims, including the verification exercise by professionals, called third-party verifiers are false, frivolous, fraudulent and unbelievable. The payments the office made so far were for those with a single account. Only about one hundred ( 100 ) out of the three thousand (3,000) with multiple account issues have been paid. It is very obvious from the foregoing that Maj. Gen Barry Tariye Ndiomu (rtd) may have plans to run away with the almost two billion nairas meant for the suspended and unpaid Ex-agitators. His plans to create problems for the incoming government by disorganizing the prevailing peace in the region will not succeed.

“Your Excellency sir, we have severally tried to make Maj. Gen. Ndiomu to understand that our position is not against his initiative to reform the current payment system, though the policy is somehow selective, we will never agree to the aspect of trying to collect or divert our guns slots which invariably implies that he is sending us back to the creeks and streets.

“Your Excellency sir, we wish to also bring to your notice that our leaders have tried to explain to the Amnesty Interim Administrator that the Amnesty programme, though a security programme but the formation pattern is quite different due to the peculiar nature of the ex-agitators involved and the Niger Delta struggle that gave birth to it. It is imperative to state unequivocally that the formation was a direct engagement with the camp leaders who were in control in each of the phases. The guns for each group were handed over by the leaders to the receiving authority and slots were given to the leader of each camp for allotment to the boys.

“One notable mistake at that point was the failure to verify or ask the number of boys in each camp before allocating slots. For example, camps that had 50 – 150 boys were given between 20 – 50 slots, thereby giving more responsibility to the leaders on how to manage the little with everybody for peace and tranquillity. To circumvent any bickering or squabble among members in the various camps, the only available option discussed and agreed upon was to either use accounts under the control of the leaders where the use of kids’ accounts by the reconciliation of names in court affirming the ownership of the names linked to the leader’s BVN became operative. The purpose was to ensure effective control and management of the available slots.

“Your Excellency sir, it is equally important to bring to your knowledge that direct payment to boy’s accounts was tried in 2014 for a few months but what transpired was a total breakdown of the existing peace. The outcome was not pleasant as the favoured few kept disappearing (forgetting the gentlemanly agreement among camp members that a slot (65,000) is to be shared by at least two or three people). The leaders were also attacked severally by their boys and were forced to pay the boys with their own money. It got to a point where the office had to intervene by granting the semi-bulk (the leaders were asked to submit accounts under their control – for example, kids account and others) to end the fighting and killing among camp members and leaders.

“It is expedient to accentuate the fact that the amnesty office is responsible for all the omissions and commissions, therefore should be blamed for whatever perceived irregularities because they forced us to resort to the multiple accounts linkage after they denied us bulk payment which is still in existence. We are also entitled to bulk payment as some leaders are clandestinely paid because the multiple accounts and bulk payment method serve the same purpose, where one hundred boys’ stipends (feeding allowances) are paid to the camp leader account (bulk payment) for onward distribution. This is clear discrimination and injustice for treating the same people in the same system differently. As the saying goes, what is good for the goose should be good for the gander.

“Your Excellency sir, all attempts to make the Amnesty Interim Administrator understand the fact that there was no bad intention attached, but rather a medium to ensure that we manage ourselves to help sustain the relative peace in the region. The method Gen. Ndiomu (rtd) is applying if not averted might cause great danger.

“It is on record that the Niger Delta crises and the Avengers started when several attempts to draw the attention of the federal government to the area were not only rebuffed but crackdown and repression utilized. The situation reached a crescendo when the people in the region resorted to self-help by bombing, vandalism and other categories of militant activities which negatively affected the economy.

“In the same vein, the persistent neglect and continual refusal to sit with us and agree on the best modality to solve this problem that has lingered for more than seven months, thereby leaving the victims to self-help is a dangerous decision to take at this critical period. The decision to send more than two thousand ex-agitators back to the creeks should be circumvented at all costs because the consequences would be grave. Therefore, there is a need to act without further delay by communicating this issue and our collective solutions to the incoming president His Excellency Chief Ahmed Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to avert the looming catastrophe that would result from this impasse.

“Your Excellency sir, if this matter is not addressed promptly, it has the potential to snowball into fresh hostility in the region. Therefore, it would be germane for Maj. Gen. Ndiomu (rtd) to be enlightened on the security implications of his actions. The amnesty programme is not a perfectly established institution bereft of errors or irregularities. Consequently, it is expected that any manager of the programme is duty-bound to correct any identified irregularity for the good and betterment of those affected and not an opportunity to witch-hunt some persons.

“The primary objective of the establishment of the programme was to address the yearnings of the people of the Niger Delta Region, particularly the beneficiaries. What we need from any manager of the programme is good policies and programmes to improve the lives of the beneficiaries with an inclusive leadership style that can carry everyone along, and not the current management style with a lot of setbacks, ranging from delisting of beneficiaries – suspension of training and empowerment – suspension of scholarship and termination of on-going scholarship of two students for planning to organize a peaceful protest to demand their learning gadgets (laptop), and lastly, the suspension of payment of more than two thousand beneficiaries for over seven months due to perceived irregularities.

“The various managers of the programme from Air Vice Marshal Lucky Ochoko Ararile (Rtd) to Hon. Timi Alaibe to Hon. Dr Kingsley K. Kuku to Col. Paul Boroh to Late Prof. Charles Quaker Dokubo to Col. Milland Dixon Dikio (rtd) made a positive and impactful contribution by providing long term/short term skill training programmes, provision of onshore and offshore scholarships and empowerments opportunities. But Gen. Ndiomu’s tenure has nothing practical to show. There is the possibility of diversion of the only suppose achievement which is the one billion, five hundred million (1.5b) Cooperative initiative for leaders if not monitored.

“Your Excellency sir, our suspicion regarding Maj Gen. Ndiomu’s motive for stopping “the” stipends of 3,000 ex-agitators under the presidential amnesty programme for over seven months for perceived irregularities/sanitization of the payment system has been proven correct with the recent online publication by Maj Gen Barry Tariye Ndiomu Rtd media group (STRATCOM). The group as directed by Ndiomu (Rtd) debunked the fact that about 3,000 delegates under the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) have been suspended since last year October/November and went further claiming again that his boss, Ndiomu has duly paid the suspended beneficiaries. The Strategic Communication Committee (STRATCOM), are Ndiomu’s well-paid media, therefore will go to any length to defend its boss. They may be also secret professional verifiers. All their claims including the verification exercise by professionals called third-party verifiers are false, frivolous, fraudulent and unbelievable. The payments the office made so far were for those with a single account. Only about one hundred ( 100 ) out of the three thousand (3,000) with multiple account issues have been paid. It is very obvious from the foregoing that Maj. Gen Barry Tariye Ndiomu (rtd) may have plans to run away with the almost two billion naira meant for the suspended and unpaid Ex-agitators. His plans to create problems for the incoming government by disorganizing the prevailing peace in the region will not succeed.

“Your Excellency sir, as individuals who are genuinely committed to the sustenance of peace not only in the region but in Nigeria as a whole, we have resolved to seek your intervention as there is palpable tension and we may not be able to control the boys if the government fail to address the issue with all sense of fairness and urgency. This is crucial because the country is sitting on a keg of gunpowder waiting for implosion, resulting from the 2023 general elections.

“Your Excellency sir, we are also aware that enemies of your victory are looking for avenues to utilize the palpable tensions and acrimony birthed by the outcome of the elections to their advantage, therefore no form of an uprising should be allowed to manifest no matter how infinitesimal because it might trigger other bigger problems.

“We, therefore use this medium to call on you to come to our aid by directing the amnesty office to grant us our entitlements by either bulk payment or to replace all the affected accounts since the former payment system is no more acceptable.

“Meantime, the leadership on behalf of the Niger Delta Ex-agitators equally congratulate His Excellency Chief AHMED ASIWAJU BOLA TINUBU, the Incoming President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, for the overwhelming victory in the 2023 Presidential Election, and urge every Nigerian to come out to embrace him come May 29, 2023” they added.

Read the full open letter

OPEN LETTER TO

His Excellency, the Incoming President,
Chief Bola Ahmed Asiwaju Tinubu.

Your Excellency sir,

CALL FOR URGENT INTERVENTION TO AVERT THE LOOMING FRESH HOSTILITY IN THE NIGER DELTA REGION

It is indeed unfortunate that the Niger Delta Ex-agitators are forced to welcome you with an issue that ordinarily could be solved by any administrator who understands the Niger Delta issues, the core purpose for the establishment of the Amnesty and the extend the initiative to demobilize the agitators from the creeks has helped to increase and stabilize the crude oil production. Therefore, any policy initiative to send a single ex-agitator back to the creeks to vandalize the pipeline should be taken as anti-progressive, counter-productive and anti-APC government.

It may interest you to note that the Presidential Amnesty Interim Administrator, Maj. Gen. Barry Tariye Ndiomu (rtd) October and November suspended the stipend (feeding allowance) of over two thousand ex-agitators for perceived irregularities and has refused to pay even after a series of intervention calls from critical stakeholders. The leadership of the Coalition of Niger Delta Ex-agitators and members have been in Abuja for over a month to meet with the Amnesty Interim Administrator, Maj. Gen Ndiomu (Rtd) for an amicable solution but all our peaceful attempts failed to achieve the desired result courtesy of Ndiomu’s leadership style. Ndiomu’s style and approach if not addressed could degenerate into fresh hostility in the region. Ndiomu needs to be enlightened on the security implication of his actions.

The amnesty programme is not a perfectly established institution that must be free from errors or irregularities, therefore it is expected that any manager of the programme is duty-bound to correct any identified irregularity for the good and betterment of those affected and not the other way around.

Your Excellency sir, we have severally tried to make Maj. Gen. Ndiomu to understand that our position is not against his initiative to reform the current payment system, though the policy is somehow selective, we will never agree to the aspect of trying to collect or divert our guns slots which invariably implies that he is sending us back to the creeks and streets.

Your Excellency sir, we wish to also bring to your notice that our leaders have tried to explain to the Amnesty Interim Administrator that the Amnesty programme, though a security programme but the formation pattern is quite different due to the peculiar nature of the ex-agitators involved and the Niger Delta struggle that gave birth it. It is imperative to state unequivocally that the formation was a direct engagement with the camp leaders who were in control in each of the phases. The guns for each group were handed over by the leaders to the receiving authority and slots were given to the leader of each camp for allotment to the boys.

One notable mistake at that point was the failure to verify or ask the number of boys in each camp before allocating slots. For example, camps that had 50 – 150 boys were given between 20 – 50 slots, thereby giving more responsibility to the leaders on how to manage the little with everybody for peace and tranquillity. To circumvent any bickering or squabble among members in the various camps, the only available option discussed and agreed upon was to either use accounts under the control of the leaders where the use of kids’ accounts or the reconciliation of names in court affirming the ownership of the names linked to the leader’s BVN became operative. The purpose was to ensure effective control and management of the available slots.

Your Excellency sir, it is equally important to bring to your knowledge that direct payment to boy’s accounts was tried in 2014 for a few months but what transpired was a total breakdown of the existing peace. The outcome was not pleasant as the favoured few kept disappearing (forgetting the gentlemanly agreement among camp members that a slot (65,000) is to be shared by at least two or three people). The leaders were also attacked severally by their boys and were forced to pay the boys with their own money. It got to a point where the office had to intervene by granting the semi-bulk (the leaders were asked to submit accounts under their control – for example, kids account and others) to end the fighting and killing among camp members and leaders.
It is expedient to accentuate the fact that the amnesty office is responsible for all the omissions and commissions, therefore should be blamed for whatever perceived irregularities because they forced us to resort to the multiple accounts linkage after they denied us bulk payment which is still in existence. We are also entitled to bulk payment as some leaders are clandestinely paid because the multiple accounts and bulk payment method serve the same purpose, where one hundred boys’ stipends (feeding allowances) are paid to the camp leader account (bulk payment) for onward distribution. This is clear discrimination and injustice for treating the same people in the same system differently. As the saying goes, what is good for the goose should be good for the gander.

Your Excellency sir, all attempts to make the Amnesty Interim Administrator understand the fact that there was no bad intention attached, but rather a medium to ensure that we manage ourselves to help sustain the relative peace in the region. The method Gen. Ndiomu (rtd) is applying if not averted might cause great danger.

It is on record that the Niger Delta crises and the Avengers started when several attempts to draw the attention of the federal government to the area were not only rebuffed but crackdown and repression utilized. The situation reached a crescendo when the people in the region resorted to self-help by bombing, vandalism and other categories of militant activities which negatively affected the economy.

In the same vein, the persistent neglect and continual refusal to sit with us and agree on the best modality to solve this problem that has lingered for more than seven months, thereby leaving the victims to self-help is a dangerous decision to take at this critical period. The decision to send more than two thousand ex-agitators back to the creeks should be circumvented at all costs because the consequences would be grave. Therefore, there is a need to act without further delay by communicating this issue and our collective sentiment to the incoming president His Excellency Chief Ahmed Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to avert the looming catastrophic crisis that would result from this impasse.

Your Excellency sir, if this matter is not addressed promptly, it has the potential to snowball into fresh hostility in the region. Therefore, it would be germane for Maj. Gen. Ndiomu (rtd) to be enlightened on the security implications of his actions. The amnesty programme is not a perfectly established institution bereft of errors or irregularities. Consequently, it is expected that any manager of the programme is duty-bound to correct any identified irregularity for the good and betterment of those affected and not an opportunity to witch-hunt some persons.

The primary objective of the establishment of the programme was to address the yearnings of the people of the Niger Delta Region, particularly the beneficiaries. What we need from any manager of the programme is good policies and programmes to improve the lives of the beneficiaries with an inclusive leadership style that can carry everyone along, and not the current management style with a lot of setbacks, ranging from delisting of beneficiaries – suspension of training and empowerment – suspension of scholarship and termination of on-going scholarship of two students for planning to organize a peaceful protest to demand their learning gadgets (laptop), and lastly, the suspension of payment of more than two thousand beneficiaries for over seven months due to perceived irregularities.

The various managers of the programme from Air Vice Marshal Lucky Ochoko Ararile (Rtd) to Hon. Timi Alaibe to Hon. Dr Kingsley K. Kuku to Col. Paul Boroh to Late Prof. Charles Quaker Dokubo to Col. Milland Dixon Dikio (rtd) made a positive and impactful contribution by providing long term/short term skill training programmes, provision of onshore and offshore scholarships and empowerments opportunities. But Gen. Ndiomu’s tenure has nothing practical to show. There is the possibility of diversion of the only suppose achievement which is the one billion, five hundred million (1.5b) Cooperative initiative for leaders if not monitored.

Your Excellency sir, our suspicion regarding Maj Gen. Ndiomu’s motive for stopping “the” stipends of 3,000 ex-agitators under the presidential amnesty programme for over seven months for perceived irregularities/sanitization of the payment system has been proven correct with the recent online publication by Maj Gen Barry Tariye Ndiomu Rtd media group (STRATCOM). The group as directed by Ndiomu (Rtd) debunked the fact that about 3,000 delegates under the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) have been suspended since last year October/November and went further claiming again that his boss, Ndiomu has duly paid the suspended beneficiaries. The Strategic Communication Committee (STRATCOM), are Ndiomu’s well-paid media, therefore will go to any length to defend its boss. They may be also secret professional verifiers. All their claims including the verification exercise by professionals called third-party verifiers are false, frivolous, fraudulent and unbelievable. The payments the office made so far were for those with a single account. Only about one hundred ( 100 ) out of the three thousand (3,000) with multiple account issues have been paid. It is very obvious from the foregoing that Maj. Gen Barry Tariye Ndiomu (rtd) may have plans to run away with the almost two billion nairas meant for the suspended and unpaid Ex-agitators. His plans to create problems for the incoming government by disorganizing the prevailing peace in the region will not succeed.

Your Excellency sir, as individuals who are genuinely committed to the sustenance of peace not only in the region but in Nigeria as a whole, we have resolved to seek your intervention as there is palpable tension and we may not be able to control the boys if the government fail to address the issue with all sense of fairness and urgency. This is crucial because the country is sitting on a keg of gunpowder waiting for implosion, resulting from the 2023 general elections.

Your Excellency sir, we are also aware that enemies of your victory are looking for avenues to utilize the palpable tensions and acrimony birthed by the outcome of the elections to their advantage, therefore no form of uprising should be allowed to manifest no matter how infinitesimal because it might trigger other bigger problems.

We, therefore use this medium to call on you to come to our aid by directing the amnesty office to grant us our entitlements by either bulk payment or to replace all the affected accounts since the former payment system is no more acceptable.

Meantime, the leadership on behalf of the Niger Delta Ex-agitators equally congratulate His Excellency Chief AHMED ASIWAJU BOLA TINUBU, the Incoming President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, for the overwhelming victory in the 2023 Presidential Election, and urge every In Nigerian In to In Income In out to In embrace him come May 29, 2023.

Please accept our highest regards. Congratulations sir.

Thanks

—————————–
LEADER JULIUS JOSEPH – NATIONAL CHAIRMAN PHASE 3 AMNESTY
08162340389

_____________ LEADER TAM ODOGWU ‘PhD’
CRITICAL STAKEHOLDER (PHASE 3 AMNESTY 08032679047

LEADER JOHN ESUKU,
Critical stakeholders phase two.