Politics

Presidential Amnesty Allegedly Delists 1,714 members, Group Threatens Shutdown

Published

3 years ago

November 5, 2022

Editor

…Give FG two weeks ultimatum to publish names of affected beneficiaries

…Accuse Amnesty officials of shoddy deals

Former Niger Delta Militants have given the Presidential Amnesty Programme, PAP, two weeks to publish in the national dailies names of the 1,714 beneficiaries of scholarship award that have been delisted.

The ex-militants threatened to embark on protests in all states in the region if PAP failed to obey the ultimatum.

The ex-militants also accused some officials of the amnesty programme that worked with the former administration of shoddy deals that culminated in the illegal insertion of names of people that were not beneficiaries of the scholarship award.

The two weeks ultimatum was a fallout of the controversies trailing the 1, 714 local and foreign scholarships allegedly awarded by the immediate past Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Col. Milland Dikio (retd).

Some of the aggrieved ex-agitators have vowed to embark on a peaceful protest to demand for their rights if the PAP failed in the next two weeks to publish the document containing the names of the scholarship beneficiaries.

Speaking with newsmen at the weekend, the President of Ijaw Defenders Mandate, IDM, Comrade John Gbozimor, alleged that some aides of the immediate past Interim Administrator of PAP had shortchanged the names of the ex-agitators with other persons that were not part of the programme.

He insisted that the PAP must publish the names of the 1, 714 beneficiaries in the 2021/2022 PAP scholarship in national dailies to ascertain how many ex-agitators made the bogus list containing names of every Tom, Dick and Harry.

The group also called on the new Interim Administrator of PAP, Maj. Gen. Barry Tariye Ndiomu (retd) to immediately set up an audit panel to investigate the process that culminated in the 1, 714 scholarship awards to determine the exact number of ex-militants that benefitted from the scholarships awarded by Col. Milland Dikio.

It accused some aides of Col. Dikio of shortchanging the ex-agitators in scholarship scheme which it claimed was hurriedly put together by the aides for their selfish interests.

“We are giving the new Interim Administrator of PAP, Gen. Ndiomu (rtd) two weeks ultimatum to publish the list of the 1,714 beneficiaries of the scholarship within fourteen day, else. We will not hesitate to occupy the streets across the Niger Delta states to demand for the publication of the names of the beneficiaries of the scholarship.

“It is so painful that after we have sacrificed our lives in the Niger Delta struggle, now we cannot benefit from the scholarships meant for us in the Presidential Amnesty Programme. Rather, it is now strangers that have come to take our chances. Neither we, nor our children cannot gain Amnesty scholarships anymore.

“Most of us who voluntarily submitted our arms and ammunition to the federal government for the sake of peace in the Niger Delta region have been shortchanged.

“If that list of 1,714 scholarship is not published in the next two weeks, we may not have any other option than to embark on a massive peaceful protest across the Niger Delta states to demand our right”, President of Ijaw Defenders Mandate averred.

Meanwhile the Ijaw Integrity Movement, IIM, in a recent statement credited to one Brakumo Thomas had castigated the new Interim Administrator of PAP, Gen. Ndiomu over comments on the PAP scholarship racketeering, claiming that PAP’s scholarships were not sold to non Niger Deltans.

The group had accused Gen. Ndiomu of trying to cast aspersions on the immediate past interim administrator, Col. Dikio whom they accused of awarding 1000 scholarships as against the alleged actual figure 1,714 beneficiaries.

Comrade Gbozimor alleged that the immediate past Interim Administrator awarded 1,714 scholarships out of which 1, 662 beneficiaries were deployed in local institutions, whilie 52 were deployed in foreign institutions in the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Ukraine and the United States of America (USA)

It was however alleged that a statement credited to the website of the Presidential Amnesty Programme in the last administration in an advert, to the public stated: “This is to inform the general public that the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) Scholarship application form and portal is open to all interested and qualified Nigerians”.

Recall that during separate meetings with the new Interim Administrator, Gen. Ndiomu in Port Harcourt Rivers State, recently, chairmen of phases 1, 2 and 3 of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, HRH. Henry Binidodogha, Asu Tambo and Tonye Bobo, respectively, lamented how they (ex-agitators) had been shortchanged in the programme, regretting that after sacrificing their lives and voluntarily submitting their arms and ammunition to the federal government for the sake of peace in the Niger Delta region and Nigeria in general others have to come through the back door to takes their chances.

They however expressed hope that Gen. Ndiomu would match words with actions by implementing his good intentions to enable the ex-agitators to benefit, reiterating that, instead of becoming the key beneficiaries, they have rather been shortchanged over the years with nothing to show for their sacrifices which birthed the programme.

The Presidential Amnesty Programme was established to train the ex-militants to become entrepreneurs who will act as agents of change to reverse the narrative of a people dependent on stipends to become self-employed or employers of labour as net contributors to the economic prosperity of the Niger Delta.

Politics

Enugu Gov Mbah Set to Dump PDP

Published

20 hours ago

October 10, 2025

Editor

Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah is set to dump the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, next week.

National Chairman and Deputy National Chairman, South-East, of the APC, Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda and Emma Eneukwu, respectively, broke the news in Abuja on Friday.

The APC national leadership revealed Mbah’s imminent defection to the ruling party while swearing in the newly inaugurated members of the Enugu State caretaker committee, led by former state chairman, Ben Nwoye, at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja.

The governor is expected to announce his defection at an event schedule to hold in the state next week.

Chairman of the newly inaugurated caretaker committee, Nwoye, who confirmed the development, said the governor will join the ruling party alongside all his appointees.

There are speculations that Taraba State Governor, Agbu Kefas, is also set to join APC.

Politics

Makinde Calls Out Umahi Over Coastal Highway Cost Analysis

Published

23 hours ago

October 10, 2025

Editor

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has weighed in on the cost of the controversial Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project that was approved by President Bola Tinubu.

Makinde, who spoke at an event in a viral video on Friday, said there was no need for the Minister of Works, David Umahi, to be “dancing around the cost” of the project.

The governor was reacting to a heated exchange that unfolded live on television between Umahi and Arise TV presenter Rufai Oseni on Tuesday.

Oseni had requested the minister to analyse the cost of the project, kilometre by kilometre.

The request didn’t sit well with Umahi, who declared himself “professor” of practice in engineering while elaborating that the costs of the road in kilometres are not the same and would be too complicated for the journalist to understand.

He said, “These are elementary questions. And it makes no sense (sic). A process is ongoing, payment has been made, and you are saying, ‘how has this money been utilised?. The money is meant for the project, and it will be paid according to the work done.

“When a certificate is generated, and it is approved through a process in the Ministry of Works, it will then be given to the funders, who will, in turn, check if the works were done. How can you be asking for cost of kilometre? The prices are different. The next kilometre is different from the next kilometre.

“Keep quiet and stop saying what you don’t know. I’m a professor in this field. You don’t understand anything. I understand engineering very well. You have no knowledge of what you ask. You have no knowledge of what you’re asking.”

Oseni, who also refused to back down, responded, “Minister, it’s alright, keep dignifying yourself, and let the world know who you truly are.”

However, justifying the journalist’s question to the minister, Makinde said, “They asked a minister how much is the coastal road is, and then you (Umahi) are dancing around and going to say that no, the next kilometre is different from the next kilometres. Then what is the average cost?

“When we did the Oyo to Iseyin road then, it was about N9.99 billion, almost N10 billion. About 34 or 35 kilometres, average cost is about N238 million per kilometre.

“But when we did Iseyin to Ogbomoso, that was 76 kilometres, it was about N43 billion, average cost is about N500 million per kilometre. And we had two bridges, one over the Ogun river and then one at Ogbomoso end.”

The PUNCH reports that last year, the Federal Government announced the commencement of construction work on the 700km Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, which spans nine states and includes two spurs leading to the northern states.

Umahi made the announcement during the official handover of the first phase of the project, made up of 47.47 kilometers of dual carriageway, to Hitech Construction Company Limited, and which is to be constructed in concrete pavement.

This was contained in a statement issued by his Special Adviser (Media), Uchenna Orji.

According to him, the Minister who was in company with the Federal Ministry of Works’ Controller in charge of Lagos State, Mrs O. I. Kesha, emphasised the need for all contractors handling Federal Government’s road projects to deliver within a record time, noting that the government would not allow variation arising from delays or slow pace of work once mobilisation had been done.

Politics

2027: Oyo Gov, Makinde Speaks On Successor

Published

2 days ago

October 9, 2025

Editor

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has said that the choice of who would succeed him in 2027 rests solely with the people of the state, not with political godfathers or entitlement claims.

Makinde said this on Thursday in Ibadan while flagging off the zonal stakeholders’ consultative forum and engagement meeting on the 2026 Budget.

According to the governor, the decision of who becomes the next governor of Oyo state rests on all eligible voters in the state.

“Oyo State has gone beyond the era of politics based on entitlement or propaganda.

“Rather, the people of the state are now more politically enlightened and they will only support leaders who present credible plans and demonstrate capacity for development,” he said.

Makinde, while reflecting on his own experience before coming into office in 2019, noted that leadership must be about accountability, not entitlement.

He recalled that many people doubted his capability when he first sought the governorship position, because he had not held any political office.

“In 2018, when I was consulting to become governor, there was no yardstick to measure me. I had never been a councillor or a local government chairman, but I asked the people to trust me and judge me by my actions,” he said.

The governor urged political leaders to focus on policies and projects that directly impact the lives of citizens rather than engaging in political theatrics.

He said his administration’s approach to challenges has been to present a clear roadmap for Oyo State’s development, “one that people can read, evaluate, and hold us accountable to.”

Makinde expressed optimism that the people of the state would continue to support leaders who prioritise progress, inclusivity, and the well-being of citizens over personal ambition.

Speaking at the 7th Stakeholders Consultative Forum, the governor said that his administration would continue to consult and engage with residents of the state on the making of the state’s annual budgets, with a view to knowing their aspirations and prioritising their needs.

He maintained that the stakeholders’ engagement was to enable his government to serve the residents of the state better through a bottom-up approach to development, noting that his administration began the tradition in 2019.

According to him, his government first separated the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning from the Ministry of Finance in order to ensure better management of the state’s resources and to avoid discrepancies.

He stated that the stakeholders’ engagement had resulted in better budget performances and economic development of the state.

Makinde reiterated that his government would continue to serve the interests of the people of the state by putting in place institutions that would ensure that the environment was safe and ready to attract investments.

He added that the state was growing rapidly and that this development had stopped rural-urban migration with the construction of Moniya-Iseyin Road, Iseyin-Ogbomoso Road, Oyo-Iseyin Road, among other infrastructural projects, which have opened rural communities.

Makinde is currently serving as governor for the second time.

The governor, whose term ends in 2027, had earlier this month advocated a single term of five or six years for elected political office holders across all levels of government in Nigeria, against the current double term of four years each.

He said a single term of five or six years is enough for any government to focus and serve the people and deliver on its mandate.

(NAN)