By Emmanuel Nduka
Concerned Niger Deltans under the platform of the Niger Delta Integrity Group (NDIG) have warned a supposed group of ‘Ex-militant leaders’ in the region to desist from carrying out sponsored attacks on the goodwill and character of the Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Major General Barry Tariye Ndiomu (rtd).
The group in a statement issued by its Convener, Dr. Boma Horsfall on Friday in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, cautioned the self-acclaimed ex-militants not to distract the Amnesty boss with their known “Machiavellian” and “vile” tactics, which is always geared towards pulling down reputable appointees from the region who refuse to dance to their tune.
According to the NDIG, petitioning the National Security Adviser, General Babagana Monguno (rtd) to suspend Ndiomu over an alleged plot to undermine an ongoing suit against 15 companies, to in turn receive a $2million ‘kickback’ from a N3.8billion contract fund, is “baseless” and “senseless”. “With the parallel exchange rate hovering between N750 to N780 per dollar, $2million would amount to N1,500,000,000 or N1,560,000,000 respectively. This amounts to almost half of the said sum, which makes it an unrealistic, senseless and baseless assumption.”
“We can state emphatically that the Interim Administrator is not even aware of these worthless allegations. This is a man that has a reputable track record in his military training that is not in anyway at par with their long criminal activities with some past officials of PAP. They have become scared because he is out to see that these criminal activities that has been going on for years is nipped in the bud.
“The Interim Administrator has a clear mandate from the Federal Government, and that mandate will be followed with fairness to all who are beneficiaries of the Presidential Amnesty Programme. Those sponsoring this are scared of Ndiomu’s resolve to block their criminalities which they have been feeding fat from in the past and enriching their pockets with resources meant for the Amnesty Programme,” the group stated.
The NDIG expressed worry that at a time when the world is thriving on sophisticated ideas and innovation in a 4th industrial world, some characters in the Niger Delta region are still parading themselves shamelessly in public places with “pride” as Ex-militants.
“People should be thinking of moving the region forward with a new way of thinking and pushing for economic sustainability. This is a mere imagination by those who are bent bringing down their own kingsmen who doesn’t play to their antics.
“We are not unaware that those who are behind this are determined on damaging the image of people of high integrity in order for them to achieve their dubious goals.
“The names of those mentioned in their misleading press release are not known ex-agitators in the region, and are not captured in the Amnesty Programme,” the statement added.
Horsefall thus urged Maj. Gen Ndiomu not to be distracted by the criminal tendencies of the so called group. He called on Nigeria’s National Security Adviser to conduct an investigation into the allegations and membership status of the self-acclaimed ex-agitators to the Amnesty Programme, and bring those found culpable of misleading allegations to answer to the law.
