Prominent leaders of Niger Delta ex-agitators have endorsed the ongoing cleansing exercise introduced by the Interim Administrator, Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Col. Milland Dixon Dikio, to remove ghost beneficiaries from the PAP’s payroll
The leaders of phases 1,2,3 amnesty beneficiaries made their position known during a meeting with Dikio in Agadagba-Obon, Ondo State at the weekend.
Former commanders, like The Big Five, at the meeting were represented by Ebikabowei Victor-Ben, aka Boyloaf, High Chief Bibopere Ajube, aka Shoot-at-sight, among others.
Victor-Ben commended Dikio for the ongoing verification exercise, to end the fraud in the amnesty system which had denied many authentic ex-agitators the opportunity to benefit from the monthly stipends.
He said the lip service paid to the issue by former heads of the scheme made it grow into a monster and emboldened persons behind it to continue to reap where they did not sow.
Victor-Ben said instead of attacking Dikio for his courage to embark on the verification exercise, lovers of the Niger Delta region should praise him for cleaning the Augean stable and repositioning the programme.
He called for unity and peaceful coexistence among all ex-agitators and urged them to support Dikio by shunning all actions capable of derailing the amnesty programme.
On his part, Ajube decried the incessant petitions and court cases instituted against the amnesty office, stressing that such actions were purely acts of distraction by anti-progressive forces in the region.
He charged leaders of the various phases to work for the actualization of the new PAP vision introduced by Dikio to accelerate development of the region and ensure sustained peace.
The former warlord said henceforth, they would join forces with Dikio to name and shame all those, who for sinister reasons, decided to embarrass the system with frivolous petitions and court cases.
Earlier in his remarks, Dikio explained that suspension of an account belonging to any ex-agitator did not translate to total cancelation, saying all cleared accounts would be paid outstanding stipend arrears.
He disclosed that one of the major discovery of the ongoing verification was how a particular unnamed person had been receiving, for years monies meant for 400 people in connivance with some government officials.
Dikio said his vision for the PAP was anchored on promoting entrepreneurship and building a peaceful Niger Delta that would be a reference point as an ideal place to live and do business because of its climatic stability.
The PAP boss emphasized that his constant trips to the region will continue as part of the strategy to take the programme back to the original owners and ensure that they are part of the execution.
“I am not deterred by those, who have made me their project to criticize. The reforms we have embarked on are not targeted at anyone or group but to sanitize the system”, he said.
While calling on all those with complaints to use the available channels including the PAP call centre number, Dikio said he was determined to leave a strong legacy for posterity to judge him.
