*Amnesty programme warns blackmailers against tarnishing Ndiomu’s image
Olusegun Samuel in Yenagoa and Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt
Ex-militant leaders and some stakeholders from the Niger Delta region have kicked against the alleged delisting of over 3,548 beneficiaries by the amnesty office from the pay list.
This was just as the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) has warned a syndicate of blackmailers to steer clear of its Interim Administrator, Major General Barry Ndiomu (rtd).
The Ex-militants who raised the alarm over the delisting of the beneficiaries from the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), further alleged that it was in a bid to terminate the programme by the 31st December 2022 deadline.
They warned and urged Ndiomu to reinstate those affected.
In a statement via electronic mail, and signed by former ex-militant leader, ‘General’ Boma Inewariku (AKA Atangba-One), they alleged that those delisted from program without due consultation with the stakeholders included Single slots: 2954, Bulk: 594.
He said the breakdown of Bulk were King Ateke’s camp:, 287, GOC Tompolo’s camp: 227, General Boyloaf’s camp: 80 making a grand total: 3,548 and equals N230,620,000.00 per month, angry the affected beneficiaries might no longer receive their monthly stipends.
They also claimed that other ex-militant leaders’ camps scheduled to be delisted included those belonging to Pastor Reuben Wilson, Abraham Ingobere (AKA Lami – Speaker, Bayelsa State Assembly), Eris Paul (AKA Ogun-Boss), Joshua Macaiver, and others.
Inewariku said, “these are legitimate and budgeted payments that Ndiomu has cut-off from thousands of Niger Delta families, just as the recent flood has ravaged lands across the region, thousands are displaced with hundreds dead, and poverty and mass starvation looms.”
They called on Ndiomu to reinstate the 3,548 Amnesty beneficiaries immediately or face the consequences.
“Are the thousands of families across our region that will no longer receive their Amnesty monthly payments under Ndiomu not from Ijaw land? Is Ndiomu the only Ijaw man? All these known sycophants that have turned Ndiomu’s spokesmen should search their conscience and ask God to give them the courage to resist the temptation of selling out their family and region for a pot of plantain, yam, or beans-portage.
“These Ndiomu’s spokesmen should call the leaders of the Amnesty programme to verify whether these beneficiaries were not delisted from their various camps or not, and whether their monthly payments were not cut-down, to ascertain the truth.
“How can these people continue to support Ndiomu that is publicly fighting against the interest of the Ijaw nation and our region in order to close-down the only programme that is of such strategic importance to our people.
“There are many federal intervention programmes with budgets of billions of naira across the north and no one hears about them, or even thinks of shutting them down.”
Meanwhile, the PAP has warned those it described as blackmailers to steer clear of Ndiomu.
PAP’s Media Consultant, Donu Kogbara, raised the alarm that detractors desperate to tarnish the image of Ndiomu had recruited blackmailers to carry out a campaign of calumny against the interim administrator.
Kogbara in a statement yesterday, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State said to satisfy their paymasters, the blackmailers had churned out series of unsubstantiated and false reports against Ndiomu to damage his image and pitch him against key stakeholders of PAP.
She said the first of their vicious attacks was recycled libelous reports claiming that Ndiomu was demanding kickbacks from a suspected dubious PAP contractor.
While describing the allegation as puerile, ridiculous and false, Kogbara insisted that there was no iota of truth in the report.
The statement said: “Our attention has been drawn to libellous reports targeting Major General Barry Tariye Ndiomu (rtd), the Interim Administrator (IA) of the PAP.
“Some unnamed ex-militant leaders from the nine states of the Niger Delta region reportedly accused Ndiomu of corruption in a ridiculous petition that they addressed to the National Security Adviser (NSA), Maj.-Gen. Mohammed Babagana Mongonu (rtd).
“The allegations revolve around 15 companies owned by a vendor, who was awarded several contracts by a previous coordinator of the programme and is currently engaged in a performance-related legal dispute with PAP. The matter is subjudice.
“The matter was in court even before Ndiomu was appointed the interim administrator and it beats the imagination of everyone how the sponsors of these vicious reports tried to link Ndiomu to such matter.”
Kogbara said similar reports attempting to discredit Ndiomu and distract him from focusing on his new mandate for PAP would be sponsored and bankrolled by enemies, who see the interim administrator as an obstacle to their intended corrupt engagements with PAP.
She said: “We are aware that some corrupt elements don’t want any change and transformation in PAP. They want the programme to remain business as usual and having seen that Ndiomu was appointed with high recommendations based on his track records of service and performance to bring the required transformation of PAP, they started early to discredit him.
“We are calling on members of the public to wary of such reports and to disregard the falsehood being peddled against the interim administrator, who assumed office office with uncommon determination and commitment to do the right things for PAP in line with the agenda to promote growth and development of the Niger Delta.
“Ndiomu has always been a patriot and man of unimpeachable character. He will not allow himself to be distracted by disreputable elements, who are desperate to tarnish his good name because they have failed to rope him into clandestine fraudulent partnerships”.
