Niger Delta Ex-agitators’ Leadership Forum writes Open Letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR)

The President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Aso Rock Villa, Asokoro, Abuja. 12th June, 2023.

“WHY THE PRESIDENTIAL AMNESTY PROGRAMME (PAP) SHOULD FOLLOW NEXT IN THE HOUSE CLEANING EXERCISE AS IN THE CASE OF THE CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA (CBN)”.

Dear Mr. President,

“Please accept my heartfelt congratulation on your landslide victory, seen to be orchestrated by Divine will. Best wishes for your success as you have taken up the responsibility of restoring our status as the Giant of Africa, not just in size but in strength, unity and stability.
Your “Renewed Hope” agenda has indeed given us hope for a future we have already envisaged is not far-fetched because we believe in your leadership and we pray to God for you to also consider the PAP in your house cleaning exercise just as you have started with the subsidy removal and the CBN.”

“The PAP, from all indications, has lost focus from its original mandate for which it was established over personal interest which has become a cash-cow, predominantly under the current leadership of the Interim Administrator (IA), Major General Barry Ndiomu (rtd).”

“While the PAP office and its officials flourish, the Ex-Agitators’ leaders and delegates wallow in abject poverty and total neglect by the Interim Administrator, with trillions of Naira sunk in the programme from inception in 2009 till date.”

“The present PAP’s Administrator (IA) has hijacked the programme and restricted its vast responsibility and obligation to just payment of monthly allowances which recently saw most long-time beneficiaries as unworthy.”

“Your Excellency, Mr President, as the Chairman of Ex-Agitators’ Leadership Forum (EALF), Bayelsa State Chapter, our group discovered that the same reasons youths of the region took up arms against the Federal Government are still being meted out to us — the leaders and delegates by the very office set up by the Federal Government to address, manage and avoid the recurrence of what triggered militancy in the region.”

“Our appeal to you, Mr. President, and as the father of all Nigerians that you are today, is to avail us of your alliance and foster the continued peace currently enjoyed by the people and stakeholders of the Niger Delta region and the nation at large which we know for a fact that a good majority wants the region to remain that way but the PAP office has been acting otherwise!
The PAP office is no longer interested in its primary mandate of diligently executing some components of the PAP but constantly initiating large robust projects/programmes to attract huge funding from the Presidency with no physical evidence.”

“My leadership is saddled with the responsibility to project the forum in a positive light for the peaceful coexistence and the benefit of all stakeholders and make do to mitigate the following:”

“1). The over three thousand (3,000) ex-agitators that have been delisted from the PAP’s data by General Barry Ndiomu (rtd.).
2). Non-payments for contracts awarded by the PAP office and executed by leaders that are supposed beneficiaries of the programme.
3). Leaving students of various training centres stranded after specific trainings.
4). Zero empowerment and start-up funding for delegates.
5). Zero vocational training for the majority of the delegates who are left to their fate on how to manage with their families.
6). The inconsistent stipend of Sixty Five Thousand Naira (N65,000) only, which is not sustainable given the current economic situation in our land today.”

“Mr. President, there is, therefore, an urgent need for a thorough review of the PAP activities, as very little, if any has been achieved in terms of training, empowerment and reintegration as designed by the programme from inception.”

“Leaders and delegates remain the punching bags of the Interim Administrator. While Barry Ndiomu and his cronies go home with their cache of ‘Ghana must go bag’, they have continued to undermine delegates by refusing measures for funding supposedly meant to cushion the effects of lingering grievances among the leadership of the ex-agitators across the Niger Delta region.”

“Slots meant for leaders and delegates who were fortunately trained in various fields to fill up some vacuums in the International Oil Companies (IOCs) and other aspects of economic reintegration in the region are left stranded with some running from pillar to post every calendar year in a bid to make annual returns to FIRS.”

“Multi-national oil companies operating in our communities deny us access. Federal Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), parastatals and organisations of the federal and state governments have little or no regard for us due to the PAP’s continued neglect of part of its primary mandate to ensure total reintegration of ex-agitators into the larger society.”

“May it please you, Mr. President, to consider and embrace the spirit that resonates in us as you lead us through our collective efforts towards a prospective, progressive and unified era.”

“God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria; God bless President Bola Ahmed Tinubu; God bless the Niger Delta region and God bless us all.”

Yours sincerely,
High Chief, Hon. Gen. Charles James Kurobo
Chairman, Ex-agitators’ Leadership Forum (EALF), Bayelsa State Chapter.

Comments

comments