Yenagoa—The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) has strongly condemned recent media 0attacks and allegations of misappropriation levelled against the helmsman of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Major General Barry Ndiomu (rtd).
IYC, which is the umbrella body of all Ijaw youths, believes that the attacks were unwarranted, wicked and a calculated attempt to truncate the Amnesty Programme established by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The IYC spokesman, Comrade Ebilade Ekerefe in a statement on Sunday accused disgruntled elements who he maintained were stopped from perpetuating fraud in the Amnesty Office of orchestrating the said attacks and spreading falsehood about Ndiomu.
The statement assured that Niger Delta people including Ijaw youths are unwaveringly behind Ndiomu despite the spurious allegations by naysayers.
Ekerefe stressed that since assuming office, Ndiomu has embarked on laudable programmes aimed at uplifting delegates and stakeholders of the Amnesty Programme, and hopes to implement more programmes.
The call on President Bola Tinubu to halt the allocated N5.6billion earlier approved by the Muhammadu Buhari administration to PAP over alleged fraudulent contracts, with payments already uploaded to the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) platform, the statement noted.
IYC added that the call is an “ill-intentioned and desperate attempt to truncate the Amnesty Programme which has benefitted the youths from the region.”
The group warned “ghost stakeholders” and “Anti-Niger Delta elements and their faceless sponsors” behind the rising media attacks on the Amnesty Office and its helmsman” to stop their campaign of calumny and support the ongoing programmes and policies of the Ndiomu-led PAP.
The statement commended the Amnesty Office over the recently launched N1.5 billion Cooperative Fund in the Amnesty Programme Cooperative Society Limited (PAPCOSOL) for beneficiaries, urging PAP to sustain the initiative as it would empower ex-agitators.
“The launch of the scheme at the Amnesty Office is a noble initiative and should be celebrated rather than being condemned by individuals and faceless groups that do not mean well for the region, as they engage in baseless claims due to bottled anger and envy against a performing Interim administrator,” IYC stated.
It further urged President Tinubu and Nigerians to disregard false claims of misappropriation at the Presidential Amnesty Office and rather confirm Ndiomu as substantive head of PAP.
IYC added that Ndiomu has “proven beyond doubt that he has what it takes to man the office and work with all stakeholders to achieve the objectives and goals of the Presidential Amnesty Programme.”
