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Ben Dunno, Warri
A prominent advocacy group in Niger Delta region, South South Reawakening Group (SSRG), has called for the substantive confirmation of Presidential Amnesty Programme, Coordinator, Major General Barry Ndiomu (Retd), considering the innovations he has brought to bear towards re-positioning the establishment to achieving its set goals.
The body who made the call in a statement signed by its Convener, Comrade Joseph Ambakederimo, noted that there was no denying the fact that General Ndiomu (Retd) had performed creditably well and therefore deserved to be appreciated with the substantive confirmation of his appointment so as to further encourage him to do more for his people.
Ambakederimo also the Chairman Board of Trustees Community Development Committees of Niger Delta Oil and Gas Producing Areas, disclosed that in recent times the Presidential Amnesty Program had witnessed unprecedented efficiency both interms of administration, policy implementation and monitoring due to the vast experience of the current Coordinator.
According to the statement;
“The innovative strides that has been brought to the management of the Amnesty programme by General Barry Tariye Ndiomu is the distinction necessary for his confirmation as the substantive Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme which is long overdue”.
“There must be a reward for those whom have excelled in their areas of endeavour. General Barry Ndiomu Rted, have made successes that should be rewarded and the reward is for President Bola Tinubu to confirm him as the Substantive Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme”.
“No doubt there has been successes recorded so far under the leadership of General Barry Ndiomu. Some of which are the establishment of the Presidential Amnesty Cooperative Society Fund, which is headed by a retired Supreme Court Judge in the person of Justice Tabai, which comes as a buffer for post Amnesty livelihood”.
“It may interest Nigerians to know that the Interim Administrator, General Barry Ndiomu is not a signatory to the account of the fund, there is funding mechanism for a robust management of the reintegration portion of the programme which is the most critical part of the programme”.
“Also viewed by many as a masterstroke, the restructured and timely payment of scholarship to beneficiaries, the continued training of participants in core areas of needs and many other achievements made in a short period confirms the Retired General is well equipped to deliver as expected”.
“This appeal to President Bola Tinubu is coming at a time when the policies he has initiated should be pursued and followed through for continuity. The incensant change of the leadership has adversely impacted the programme that would have made tremendous gains in the past before the advent of General Barry Ndiomu”.
“Therefore it is the opinion of the Board of Trustees and Management of the the Community Development Committees of Niger Delta Oil and Gas Producing Areas, that there should be less political interference in the management of this laudable programme, in order for the innovations brought under the current leadership headed by General Barry Ndiomu to crystallize”.
“Nigerians should be reminded that the issues that gave birth to the Amnesty programme still stare us in the face, although the very critical issue of armed struggle has been eliminated, many demobilized persons have earned various skills and others have become graduates in diverse fields of endeavour”.
“The reintegration portion of the programme is what is in focus and should be followed through to its logical conclusion therefore the political will and support from the Federal government is need for the current leadership to be sustained to drive the reintegration which is the focus of General Barry Ndiomu, Retd.”
“Going further we will use this opportunity to call for increase funding of the programme to allow for upward review of the payment of the stipend to participants of the programme due to the current global economic realities which Nigeria is not immune to, and also adequate funding for the various laudable policies and programmes that will be implementable and concretizied”, it stated.
