News

Presidential Amnesty Programme Needs Adequate Funding, Says Bayelsa Gov, Diri

Published

10 months ago

November 1, 2024

Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State says funding is critical for the success of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP).

Diri also stressed that PAP was not a gift to the Niger Delta region but was deliberately designed to bring some form of succor to the abandoned oil rich region.

“I want my brothers from other states to recognise that the amnesty programme was not a gift to the Niger Delta but to bring succour to a people that had been abandoned,” he added.

Governor Diri spoke on Friday when he received the PAP Administrator, Dr Dennis Otuaro, and his delegation in Government House, Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.

The governor stressed that funding was critical for the survival of the programme.

He advocated the need for state governments and National Assembly members from the Niger Delta to collaborate towards addressing the funding challenges of the PAP.

He said: “There is no place that will survive without funds. These are some of the issues that we as governors can also support in ensuring that our National Assembly members make the contacts and synergise so that these issues will not be left for you alone to handle.”

He advised Dr Otuaro to build linkages across relevant state governments within the region so as to ensure that the programme made a meaningful impact.

He noted that the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) also faces similar challenges, which had affected its activities.

The Bayelsa governor cautioned against the call for the scrapping of the programme, saying the issues that led to its establishment have not been addressed.

According to him, despite the transition to renewable energy, crude oil production still plays a vital role in the nation’s economy and advocates for continuation of the programme.

Diri, while recalling a brief history of the armed struggle of the Ijaw people from the days of Jasper Adaka Boro, stressed the critical place of the PAP in the region.

“The ljaws, for long, have been suffocated in a structure that they had given their all in terms of human and natural resources. Over the years, there has been a long cry of neglect and underdevelopment.

“The initial armed struggle in Ijawland basically fought for justice and development. The community called Oloibiri in Bayelsa State, where crude oil was first struck in commercial quantities in 1956, is now a shadow of itself. Nothing was ploughed back into Oloibiri that brought out all the trillions of naira for Nigeria.”

While commending the previous administrators of the programme for creating training centres across the region, the governor decried the vandalism at the training centre in Kaiama in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of the state and urged Otuaro to revamp it.

In his remarks, the PAP Administrator requested the support of the state government in the area of funding for its training programmes.

Otuaro said the programme was at the rehabilitation and reintegration stage, adding that there was a need to consult with all relevant stakeholders to ensure its success.

He noted that from 2014, funding for the programme was reduced by half while its scope was expanding, particularly when it had about 1,681 students in tertiary institutions in the country and 38 students studying abroad.

Otuaro also disclosed that 98 maritime cadets have just been deployed within the country, stressing that there was a need to expand the programme to accommodate women stakeholders that are business-oriented.

He applauded Senator Diri for his administration’s efforts in ensuring that Bayelsa remains peaceful, adding that Ijaw people were happy with the prevailing peace and security as Bayelsa is the homogenous state for all ljaws.

News

DSS Issues Warning, Arrests Man For Circulating Fake Recruitment Materials

Published

58 minutes ago

August 24, 2025

Editor

The Department of State Services (DSS) has disclosed the arrest of one Mr. Eze Ezenwa Benard, who was recently apprehended for circulating fake DSS recruitment past questions and answers on Facebook.

The agency, while warning the public in a statement on Saturday, said the suspect operated through a page known as “Jobs and Education”, where he advertised the fraudulent materials and charged unsuspecting members of the public one thousand naira (N1,000) for access.

“The public is hereby cautioned to disregard any materials, as the DSS does not sell or distribute recruitment questions, answers, or examination guides through private individuals or social media pages. Recruitment into the Service, when necessary, follows specialised procedure in accordance with extant laws and due process,” the statement reads.

News

‘Na Only People You Gave Work Love You,’ Singer Speed Darlington Tells Tinubu

Published

1 hour ago

August 24, 2025

Editor

Singer Speed Darlington has told President Bola Tinubu that public admiration cannot be bought, warning that only those who received appointments or jobs from the government truly support him.

In a video posted on Saturday, August 23, the singer said, “Everything isn’t about the economy! There is more to leadership than the economy. See as everybody dey call your name, dey complain. Nobody loves you. Na only the ones you gave work, na them love you. Even your own tribe dey complain about you.”

Darlington, an Igbo man, urged Tinubu to focus on police reform and respect for human rights. “The Nigerian police is an oppressive agency rooted in human rights violation. As a matter of fact, if they do not violate you, it’s as if they are not even doing their job.

“The idea of arrest before investigation is a pure human rights violation. You arrest and hold a person before you dey investigate. Please, before you leave office, please speak to your Yoruba brother IGP man,” he added.

News

Before You Leave Office, Reform The Police — Speed Darlington Urges Tinubu

Published

1 hour ago

August 24, 2025

Editor

Popular controversial singer Speed Darlington has called on President Bola Tinubu to reform the Nigerian Police Force, urging the government to prioritise citizens’ rights alongside economic growth.

In a video posted on Saturday, the entertainer criticised what he described as the police’s systemic human rights violations and oppressive practices.

“Mr President, before you leave office, whether you secure a second term or not, try your best to improve Nigeria. Everything isn’t about the economy!

“There is more to leadership than the economy. See as everybody dey call your name, dey complain. Nobody loves you. Na only the ones you gave work, na them love you. Even your own tribe dey complain about you,” he said.

The singer, who identifies as Igbo, urged Tinubu to engage with the Inspector-General of Police and implement reforms.

“As an Igbo man, the advice I can give you so people will know your name and remember you for something good is to reform the police. Reform the police.

“The Nigerian police is an oppressive agency rooted in human rights violation. As a matter of fact, if they do not violate you, it’s as if they are not even doing their job.

“The idea of arrest before investigation is a pure human rights violation. You arrest and hold a person before you dey investigate,” he added.

Darlington also recounted his personal ordeal with law enforcement, highlighting the system’s abuse of power.

“I was held for two months after the judge had ordered my release. FID held me for two months. According to my lawyer, the Nigerian law gives only 28 days for investigation.

“They held me for two months. What is the extra month for? Because they can. If you give them money, they oppress your enemy. I have experienced it,” he said.