Niger Delta ex-agitators, under the auspices of Niger Advocate for Peace Good Governance and Anti-Corruption Network, NAPGGAN, on Monday, condemned some Niger Delta elders over call for sack and replacement of the Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Coordinator, Major General Tariye Barry Ndiomu (rtd) stressing that Gen Ndiomu has performed outstanding well.
The group noted this while reacting to a publication in Two national dallies by a group called Movement for the Sustainable Development of the Niger Delta, MSDND, led by Ayebatekena Olodi and Chief Godwin Pere- Ebikabowei, saying in a letter addressed to the National Security Adviser, NSA, Maj. Gen. Babagana Monguno (rtd.), for an urgent need for a replacement of the appointment of a new Interim Administrator for the Presidential Amnesty programme in order for the programme not to suffer neglect following Ndiomu’s new assignment to chair an 11-man committee on the Special Investigative Panel on Oil Theft.
In an emergency meeting held in Abuja, by the National Coordinator, NAPGGAN, Comrade Fiawei Pathfinder, Deputy National Coordinator, Comrade Bekes Apere, NAPGGAN debunked all the claims in the letter the MSDND addressed to the NSA by the group insisting that Gen Ndiomu is trustworthy and the right man for the job.
According to the National Coordinator Pathfinder, the approach of General Barry Tariye Ndiomu to reorganize restructured sanitized transformed and to repositioned the PAP is highly commendable and appreciated by all well-meaning Niger Deltans adding that this kind of reform has never been witnessed since the programme started under the previous PAP Coordinators.
“Gen Ndiomu has been carefully selected and appointed by Mr President which the NSA is fully aware of his pedigree and untainted track record based on his wealth of expertise skills and experience while serving as a military officer.
“This call false claims by this disgruntled unknown group is quite unfortunate diminishing and mischievous because all they have published on the pages of newspapers are all lies, been sponsored by some set of corrupt minded politicians who are deliberately out to tarnish the image of Gen Ndiomu.
“They are not speaking for the Niger Delta people neither are they speaking for the over 30,000 Ex Agitators cut across the nine states who are under going training in the amnesty program in the region, but they are just being used and mischievous to cause disaffection, and whatever they have said on the pages of newspapers are to be discarded and ignored’’
The group also noted that for the short time Gen Ndiomu been in office there has been series of tremendous reforms taking place in the Amnesty office.
‘‘Gen Ndiomu has brought about sanity and discipline put in place along with cardinal direction to achieve the much-desired goals of transparency and accountability in the entire PAP.
‘‘we want to seize this opportunity to re thank and appreciate President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Security Adviser for this gracious appointment of Major General Barry Tariye Ndiomu as Interim Administrator of the Amnesty Programme, and also for deeming fit to carefully select Ndiomu to head the 11 man Special investigative Presidential committee on Oil theft, this speak volume very loud and It shows trustworthy Competence Capability, it is a good omen to we the Ijaw People and a welcome development to the Niger Delta people in particular.
“General Ndiomu has requested a partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other foreign agencies in collaboration with through the minister for overseas education and vocational training for Niger Delta ex-agitators. He is clearing outstanding debts by his predecessors as we speak.
“Gen Ndiomu has resolved and is working hard to change the narrative to improve employment of just more than one per cent of those who have been trained and also went to study on scholarship as he is engaging with heads of government agencies, ministries, head of the civil service of the federation, the Nigerian Navy, Nigerian custom service, inspector general of police for Special recruitment space for the ex Agitators, and with the commandant of the Nigerian civil defence corps, the Chief of army staff all these are steps Ndiomu has taking so far in other to secure a lifetime lucrative job opportunity of employment to occupy the ex militants, with this laudable right steps Ndiomu has taken so far we believe that this will soon begin a positive result as soon as possible.
“He also approached the Director General of National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, to galvanize the region with ICT based training and capacity building through ICT, of our youths in the region”, the group explained.
Therefore, the group call on the general public with all well meaning Niger Deltans to disregard and ignore the letter that was addressed to the NSA, and published on Vanguard and Thisday newspaper of Monday 6th, under the a group called Movement For The Sustainable Development Of Niger Delta MSND, the general public should not take them seriously because they are not known to the people of Niger Delta neither the ex-Agitators.