EDITORIAL | The Ghost of Gen. Dickson Yeinkari Is Still Waiting: How Many More Ex-Agitators Must Die Before Justice Comes?
By Tarakirivoice Editorial Team
There are deaths that happen because of illness.
There are deaths that happen because of old age.
And then there are deaths that leave behind painful questions that refuse to die.
The story of the late Gen. Dickson Yeinkari, founder and leader of Camp 8 under Phase II of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, is one such story.
LIt is not just about one man.
It is about thousands of forgotten men and women who surrendered their weapons because Nigeria promised them peace, rehabilitation, dignity and a future.
When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu appointed Chief Dennis Brutus Otuaro as Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, hope returned to many camps across the Niger Delta.
Men who had suffered in the creeks celebrated.
Widows smiled.
Children believed better days were coming.
Among those who celebrated most was Gen. Dickson Yeinkari.
He believed that one of their own had finally arrived.
He believed a man who understood the pains of the struggle would never abandon those who sacrificed everything for peace.
Sadly, that hope slowly turned into tears.
Like many beneficiaries affected by the BVN verification issues, Yeinkari patiently waited for his legitimate entitlements.
He travelled repeatedly to Abuja.
He borrowed money for transportation.
He accumulated debts in hotels while chasing promises.
He knocked on doors.
He pleaded.
He appealed.
Every journey ended with another promise.
Every promise ended with another disappointment.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government continued funding the Presidential Amnesty Programme.
The money kept coming.
But Yeinkari’s own money never reached him.
As the months turned into years, the consequences became unbearable.
His children reportedly dropped out of school because fees could no longer be paid.
Food became a luxury.
Debt became a daily companion.
Hope gave way to despair.
Depression took hold.
Then illness followed.
When his condition became critical, his children rushed him to the hospital, praying their father would survive.
But before treatment could begin, the hospital requested the required deposit.
The family reportedly had no money.
The same man whose entitlements he had long sought could not access them when they mattered most.
The hospital could not proceed without payment.
His children watched helplessly.
Their father died.
No family should ever witness such a tragedy.
These facts raise deeply troubling questions that deserve transparent answers from the relevant authorities.
Today, one question echoes across the creeks:
How can a man die while waiting for money meant for him?
Even more troubling is another question many beneficiaries continue to ask:
If the government continued releasing funds during that period, what became of the unpaid entitlements?
These are questions that deserve accountability.
This editorial is not about encouraging anger.
It is about demanding compassion, transparency and justice.
Peace was never supposed to become another form of punishment.
The Presidential Amnesty Programme was created to heal wounds, not deepen them.
Its purpose was to replace violence with hope.
To replace conflict with opportunity.
To replace abandonment with inclusion.
Every delayed stipend affects more than one beneficiary.
Behind every unpaid allowance is a hungry family.
Behind every unpaid entitlement is a child sent home from school.
Behind every administrative delay is a mother unable to buy medicine.
Behind every broken promise is another citizen losing faith in government.
Across the Niger Delta today, many former leaders and beneficiaries say they continue to face unresolved payment concerns and prolonged uncertainty.
Their greatest fear is simple:
They do not want another Dickson Yeinkari.
Mr. President, the Niger Delta chose peace because Nigeria made a promise.
Peace cannot survive on speeches alone.
Peace survives when promises are kept
The increase in the Presidential Amnesty Programme budget from ₦65 billion to ₦115 billion should ordinarily inspire confidence that beneficiaries will receive timely support and that outstanding concerns will be addressed efficiently.
Yet many beneficiaries continue to express concern over delayed monthly stipends and unresolved payment issues.
These concerns deserve careful attention.
This is not merely about money.
It is about trust.
It is about human dignity.
It is about the moral obligation of a nation to those who laid down their arms in the interest of peace.
To the ex-agitators of the Niger Delta:
Your voices matter.
Demand accountability peacefully.
Demand transparency lawfully.
Demand that every naira appropriated for your welfare reaches its intended beneficiaries.
Peaceful civic engagement is not rebellion.
It is a constitutional right.
History remembers those who stood peacefully for justice.
And finally, to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu:
Please listen to the cries coming from the creeks.
Listen to the widows.
Listen to the children.
Listen to the elderly ex-agitators who now struggle to survive.
Order an independent review of unresolved payment complaints.
Ensure transparency in the administration of the programme.
Let no family lose another father while waiting for benefits intended to sustain them.
Let no child watch another parent die because help arrived too late.
The grave of Gen. Dickson Yeinkari cannot speak.
But his story still does.
And perhaps the greatest tribute Nigeria can pay to his memory is to ensure that no other beneficiary suffers the same fate.
Tarakirivoice Editorial Team
