Dikio has surpassed our expectations – IYC

From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa

The Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to make the Interim Administrator, Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Col. Milland Dixon Dikio (rtd), the substantive coordinator of the scheme saying he has so far surpassed the expectations of youths and other stakeholders in the region.

The IYC in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Ebilade Ekerefe, on Thursday, applauded Dikio for his constant engagements with stakeholders in the region, noting it was a clear departure from previous administrations.

“For us, Col. Dikio (rtd) has done beyond the expectations of many persons especially taking into consideration those who have manned that office in recent times. He has been able to stabilize the programme and many stakeholders are very pleased with his strategies.

“Dikio has been able to redirect the amnesty programme. The amnesty programme has a template and the previous coordinators of the programme did not really pursue the template.

“However, since Dikio took over the helms of affairs, he has been able to pursue the programme in a direction that is very pleasing to the stakeholders of the region, especially as he engages with them,” he said.

Ebilade while pointing out that Dikio’s engagements has led to the peace and stability in the region observed that the amnesty boss would not allow any month to pass without visiting Niger Delta to interface with stakeholders.

He appealed to President Buhari to honour the wish of stakeholders in the region by giving a substantive status to Dikio’s appointment.

According to him making Dikio the substantive coordinator would enable him pursue the mandate of PAP to a logical conclusion to ensure permanent peace in the region.

“While we congratulate Dikio for a successful year in office as the PAP boss, we express our belief that upon his confirmation as the Coordinator, he will be enabled to perform effectively and without constrains.

“Dikio has the capacity and Intellect as he has demonstrated so far. He has been able to carry people of the region along. We are calling on the Federal Government to make him a substantive coordinator so that he will have the full operational capacity to administer justice to the programme. We are not comfortable that the amnesty programme is run through an Interim bases,” Ebilade added