PAP: Tension as Niger Delta ex-militants vow to cripple oil facilities

By Peters Monday, Abuja

Tension brews as a coalition of ex-militants from all the Niger Delta states have threatened to cripple Nigeria’s economy over the continued occupation of the Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) Maj. Gen. Barry Ndiomu (Rtd) in the Amnesty office.

The angry warlords said Ndiomu’s continued stay in the office may lead to the breakdown of law and order, and eventually lead to the shutting down of all major oil facilities in the creeks of the region.

The coalition which comprised of Supreme Egbesu Freedom Fighters of Niger Delta, Niger Delta Creek Dragon Militant Group and Niger Delta Anti-Corruption Network, reiterated this after a meeting in Yenagoa on Monday, insisting that Ndiomu’s tenure had long elapsed without a fresh appointment letter from the presidency, and his continuous stay in office is illegal.

The group’s leaders and commanders, General Agadagba, Gen Osuopele and General Ebis, also alleged that there are allegations of financial misappropriation and diversion of resources meant for the programme by Ndiomu and that they had expected that he stepped aside while the presidency carried out a proper investigation into the allegations.

The report reads, “Our crucial and critical meeting in one of the creeks of Bayelsa State was basically to x-ray the President Bola Tinubu’s administration on the direction it wants to place the Presidential Amnesty Programme and call for total overhaul and reformation, and the value his government is going to add to ex-militants including the entire development of the Niger Delta region.

“However, we resolved that the first task and demand is that President Tinubu should sack the current Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Mr Barry Ndiomu Immediately without wasting time.

“We will no longer sit and watch and fold our arms in the creek to allow Ndiomu’s continuous stay in that office because it is illegal and unacceptable to us, for the fact that his tenure has elapsed before now, which he knows very well even before President Tinubu was elected and inaugurated on May 29, 2023.

“We will not take it anymore for him to be there because we are not blinded or illiterate for one man to play with the intelligence of a whole region and continue to embezzle the Amnesty Programme funds to himself and his cronies to feed fat.

“One of the issues bothering the people of the region that may set the region on fire any moment from now if not properly handled by Mr President is the long stay of the present Interim Administrator, whose appointment has elapsed and expired, and long overdue for removal.

“His capacity to galvanize the Programme is lacking, hence there is no ongoing training programme for the Amnesty beneficiaries since he was appointed, and the entire programme is on a standstill since his tenure began.

“He has no single idea to manage that office nor to move the programme forward, he had also refused to pay most of the contractors under the Programme despite that they are due for payment.

“We want to emphatically state that if President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would not remove Ndiomu and replace him with a competent hand from the region, we have no other choice than to shut down all major oil facilities in the creeks, which may affect the crude oil production in the creeks of Niger Delta.

“We are not going to give any ultimatum to this decision because Ndiomu’s continuous stay in that office is a threat to the existing prevailing peace in the Niger Delta region, therefore should be sacked with immediate effect without further wasting time.”