Traditional Rulers and Elders from the six states of the Niger Delta have petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari over the allege rising cases of fraud and diversion of funds under the Presidential Amnesty Programme presided over by the Interim Coordinator, Major General Barry Tariye Ndiomu (rtd.).
Among the allegations thrown up in the petition addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Security Adviser Major General Babagana Mohammed Monguno (rtd.) and dated 7th of February 2023, were cases of alleged forgery of late Professor Charles Quaker Dokubo’s signature to back date contract award letters for purported to contractors.
The traditional rulers, elders, men, women, youth groups from across the Niger Delta region under the aegis of the Coalition of Ex-Militant Leaders, led by General Boma Inewariku, Gabriel Atumani Victor and James Ebiaredei Collins called for the suspension of the Interim Administrator, to allow for proper investigations
In the petition, the group also claimed that “for his continuous involvement with top Amnesty officials in multiple cases of alleged open public funds embezzlement, fraud and corruption with his cohorts and the brazen demand for returns for their appointment into top offices at the Amnesty office is mind-boggling, disgusting and disheartening. It should be shown that our public offices are not for sale. And that appointment into the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) should be on merit and service to the people of the Niger Delta region.“
“Therefore, as stakeholders from the Niger Delta region and owners of the PAP, we cannot continue to remain silent as our resources are continually been siphoned by corrupt individuals, and for the memories of our loved ones who sacrificed, fought and thousands of them died prior to the proclamation of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) in 2009 be destroyed by an incompetent and corrupt individual. Since the appointment of the present administration into the Presidential Amnesty office, not a single PAP beneficiary or anyone from the Niger Delta region have been deployed for training or empowered.”
“Our children are not trained and empowered, and worst still, Ndiomu continues to delist our people from the Amnesty programme in order to divert their legitimate payments for himself and his aides, knowing that his tenure expires in about 22 days (1st March 2023). The Present management of the Amnesty office cannot list a single achievement since his appointment to date, rather, the Amnesty Programme and the Niger Delta region has been in chaos with unrelenting allegations of blatant public funds stealing, fraud and corruption.”
