Yenagoa—Pan-Ijaw sociocultural bodies including the Ijaw National Congress (INC) and the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC), as well as traditional rulers in the Niger Delta region have given Major General Barry Ndiomu (rtd) a pass mark in their assessment of his six months period of stewardship as Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, PAP.
Speaking to Arise News Channel, INC President, Prof. Benjamin Okaba said Ndiomu has done well since assuming office.
He stated that under Ndiomu the Amnesty Programme is taking a new dimension of growth with the PAP boss not only liaising with stakeholders in the region but also addressing their demands.
Okaba said that “the present boss has started the process of assessing employment opportunities for ex-militants who have gotten training from both local and international sources.
“I learned some of them have been pushed into security services, some into the oil companies, and some are even encouraged to form cooperatives with funding so that they can start up their own businesses.
“Under Buhari, it is on record that about 121 first-class graduates have been produced from the Amnesty Programme.
“The Amnesty Programme is taking a new shape. There are serious consultations. He goes down to the stakeholders in their villages and communities, harkens to their demands and addresses them as swiftly as possible.
“I’ll personally score Ndiomu about 70% because he has done well.”
Similarly, the spokesman of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Ebilade Ekerefe described Ndiomu as a man of discipline and courage, who has contributed to the present peace being experienced in the Niger Delta.
Ekerefe who commended the PAP boss for his consistent interface with stakeholders of the Niger Delta region stated that Ndiomu is committed to positioning the Amnesty Programme to achieve its aims and objectives.
“Major General Ndiomu has also contributed to the sustained peace that we are currently enjoying in the region. Because Ndiomu is a man of discipline, character and courage, the president appointed him as chairman of the special panel on crude oil theft.
“So we commend Ndiomu for his consistent interface with stakeholders of the region, which is very key because the program itself is a product of stakeholders’ decisions.
“The president saw capacity and courage in Ndiomu which was what informed the president to appoint him in that capacity. Of course, that has also contributed to his being appointed as chairman of the special panel on crude oil theft.
“He is a man who is committed to making sure that the Amnesty Programme is positioned in achieving the aims and objectives of why it was set up,” Ekerefe said.
Ndiomu’s periodic stakeholder consultation engagement and assessment of employment opportunities for ex-militants have brought a new lease of life to the Presidential Amnesty Programme, the report says.
It was also reported that since being appointed on the 15th of September 2022, the PAP boss has paid consultative visits to critical stakeholders in the Niger Delta region; a move much appreciated by the traditional rulers and people in the communities.
Mangrovepen.ng gathered that Ndiomu since assuming office has also visited the Head of the Civil Service, the National Information Technology Development Agency, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Nigeria Customs Service, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and other parastatals as well as getting about 350 First and Second class graduates into the Federal Civil Service.
Ndiomu has also been appointed as the substantive chairman of the special investigative panel on crude oil theft to curb the crime of oil theft in the Niger Delta region.
