PAP: Ijaw youths appeal to Tinubu to confirm Ndiomu, rubbish malicious attacks

By Sola Omoniyi, Lagos

The Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide has described the recent attacks and spurious allegations of misappropriation raised against the Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Maj. Gen. Barry T. Ndiomu (rtd) as an attempt to derailed the amnesty programme.

The apex Ijaw youths body, while condemning the malicious campaigns of fifth calumny, said the attacks are unwarranted, wicked and a calculated ploy to truncate the Amnesty Programme of the federal government.

The IYC, in a statement by its National Spokesman, Comrade Ebilade Ekerefe accused disgruntled elements who were allegedly stopped from perpetrating fraud in the Presidential Amnesty Office, to have behind spreading falsehood about Maj. Gen. Barry T. Ndiomu (rtd.).

According to him, the people of the Niger Delta, including the IYC are unwavering in their support for Ndiomu (rtd.), stating that since assumption of office, he had embarked on laudable programmes aimed at uplifting the beneficiaries of the Amnesty Programme and hope to implement more programmes.

He said the call on President Bola Tinubu to halt the allocated N5.6billion which was approved by the outgone Buhari administration to the amnesty office over alleged fraudulent contracts, with payments already uploaded to the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) platform, is an ill-intensioned and desperate attempt to truncate the Amnesty Programme which had benefitted the youths from the region.

The group cautioned what it described as “ghost stakeholders” and “Anti-Niger Delta elements and their faceless sponsors” behind the rising media attacks on the Presidential Amnesty Office and its boss” to stop their campaign of calumny and support the ongoing programmes and policies of the Amnesty Office under the leadership of Maj. Gen. Barry T. Ndiomu (rtd.).

While it commended the Presidential Amnesty Office over the recently launched N1.5billion Cooperative Fund in the Amnesty Programme Cooperative Society Limited (PAPCOSOL) for beneficiaries, the statement urged the Amnesty Office to sustain the initiative as it would strategically and directly empower ex-agitators in the Niger Delta.

Ekerefe maintained that the launch of the scheme at the Amnesty Office, is a noble initiative and should be celebrated rather than being condemned by individuals and faceless groups who do not mean well for the region, as they engage in baseless claims due to bottled anger and envy against a performing Interim administrator.

IYC further urged President Bola Tinubu and Nigerians at large, to disregard claims of misappropriation at the Presidential Amnesty Office and rather expedite action on the confirmation of Maj. Gen. Barry T. Ndiomu (rtd.) as substantive administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, as he had proven beyond doubt that he had what it takes to Mann the office and work with all stakeholders to achieve the objectives and goals of the  Presidential Amnesty Programme.