News

We’ve Repositioned PAP To Tackle Unrest, Unemployment In Niger Delta — Ndiomu

Published

3 years ago

May 5, 2023

The Presidential Amnesty Programme, PAP has been repositioned to tackle unrest and unemployment in the Niger Delta by empowering youths in the area with requisite skills, the Interim Administrator of PAP, Major General Barry Ndiomu (rtd), has said.

Ndiomu, during a courtesy call to the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA in Lagos, said he has had to redirect the programme to its primary objective of boosting the capacity of youths in the Niger Delta.

While soliciting the partnership of the authority for some of its programmes, especially the Deep Sea Diving School in Rivers State, Ndiomu was received by NPA’s Managing Director, Mohammed Bello-Koko and the other management team.

He said, “When I took over in September 2022, I discovered that the programme had been drifting away from the core objectives of why it was established. I had to redirect the vision towards the initial concept, which is essentially to build the capacity of the teeming restive youths in the region. Like they say, ‘an idle mind is the devil’s workshop’.

“When these boys are jobless, what do you expect from them? They engage in criminal activities, including pipeline vandalization, piracy and other activities which affect the economy.”

Ndiomu explained that the Amnesty Programme has five vocational centres, which were established with different specialisations such as in Agadagba in Ondo state aimed at training youths in oil & gas related activities; another in Bomadi, Delta state with the objectives of building capacity in energy-related activities while the one in Rivers state is for deep sea diving training.

While lamenting that the centre in Boro town, Bayelsa State was vandalised after its completion, Ndiomu solicited technical support as well as long-term strategic collaboration in utilising one of the jetties of the NPA for the deep-sea diving school in Rivers state.

“I want to solicit your support and assistance with a view to using one of your jetties in Rivers state which we can develop further together for the purpose of the deep sea diving school and other related marine training. This is one area where we can get the youths to create sustainable livelihoods.

“These boys are willing to learn. Many of them have been trained but sadly, they are unemployed. I don’t think this is in the best interest of the country. We have been managing them by paying them the recommended stipend monthly but it is not the right way to go because we are indirectly encouraging the culture of indolence and dependency. It is not something we should encourage in our youths, rather we should give them the opportunity to be self-reliant and contribute meaningfully to the economy,” he added.

The MD of NPA, Bello-Koko, who commended Ndiomu for boosting the capacity of youths in the Niger Delta, said the programme has helped in addressing unrest in the region.

He assured the PAP team of the willingness of NPA to provide technical support and other assistance needed for the success of the deep-sea diving school. He said the authority has improved activities in the ports in the region as a way of gainfully engaging the youths through provision of jobs.

“For us in NPA, we have tried to improve activities of our ports in the region as a way of tackling restiveness because with these activities, jobs are created and the youths are engaged. We will work with you to give you all the support you need. We’ll work with you to see any available jetty for the purpose you want to use it for. When it comes to deep sea diving and other marine related training, we have experienced staff here that we can always send to you to offer training and advisories whenever the need arises.

“We have tried as much as possible to have a very good working relationship with the host communities in the Niger Delta. We have seen a reduction in restiveness because of what you have been doing as well as our engagement with the host communities. We also seek your support when you are engaging with the communities around the port locations; they need to realise that their action and inaction will determine how viable the ports are,” he said.

News

MOWAA Authorities Shun Edo Assembly Committee, Give Reason

Published

18 hours ago

November 24, 2025

Editor

Authorities of the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) on Monday refused to appear before the Edo State House of Assembly Ad hoc Committee which was set up to investigate its operations and funding.

Recall that Governor Monday Okpebholo, had last month, asked the Assembly to determine the stake of the state government having committed N3.3bn and true ownership of MOWAA.

At the resumed sitting of the Committee on Monday, MOWAA, in a letter by its lawyer, Olayiwola Afolabi, said it earlier informed the Committee that it would be sub judice for it to attend the public hearing due to the pendency of the same matter before the Federal High Court, Benin City.

In the letter, MOWAA informed the Committee that other committees of the Federal Government and the House of Representatives have been constituted to look into the same issues.

The letter said documents it previously submitted to the Assembly showed that everything about MOWAA was genuine and transparent.

MOWAA, in the documents it submitted, said, “No funds from any international institution had been received for the building of MOWAA until after it was very clear what MOWAA was and was not.

“All funding was received subsequent to the time in the middle of 2021 that it was clear to potential donors that there would be two separate organisations one focused on Benin heritage art and another on modern and contemporary, broader West African art and research/education.

“Funding from the German Government did not come until the end of 2022 – a year and a half after the Palace disassociated itself from MOWAA. The fact that there would be two separate museums was communicated to the Benin Dialogue Group (the European museums) in the meetings of October, 2021 at the London meeting and again in Hamburg in the meetings of March 2023, and further confirmed in writing to all Benin Dialogue Group members approximately two years ago when MOWAA formally withdrew from the group meetings.”

Speaking before the Committee, the state Accountant General, Julius Oseimen Anelu, said N3.8bn was released for the building of MOWAA between 2022 and 2024.

He said funding for MOWAA by the Edo State Government was appropriated in the budget.

He said the $18m from donors did not enter the state’s coffers.

On his part, the Benin Monarch, Oba Ewuare II, who was represented by Prince Aghatise Erediauwa, accused former Governor Godwin Obaseki of making efforts to hijack the processes of the returned artefacts.

He accused former Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed and a former Director General of National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) Albert Tijani, of fighting the Palace to defend the actions of the Legacy Restoration Trust (LRT).

Oba Ewuare II said the LRT was used to solicit funds abroad using his name.

The Benin Monarch said the Federal Government gazette, which recognised him as the custodian of the returned artefacts, made the LRT promoters realise that they were fighting a lost battle.

Chairman of the Ad hoc Committee, Hon Ade Isibor, expressed shock at the action of MOWAA.

News

He Can’t Fix His Party Let Alone Nigeria – Oshiomhole Blasts Atiku

Published

18 hours ago

November 24, 2025

Editor

The lawmaker representing Edo North Senatorial District, Adams Oshiomhole, has criticised former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

Speaking in an interview on Politics Today, a programme on Channels Television monitored by DAILY POST on Monday, Oshiomhole alleged that Atiku, who cannot fix his party, cannot fix Nigeria’s problems.

His comment comes after Atiku officially joined the African Democratic Congress, ADC.

News

Gov Mohammed Flags Off Construction Of 203.47-kilometre Rural Roads

Published

22 hours ago

November 24, 2025

Editor

Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State has flagged off the construction of 203.47-kilometre rural roads in the state.

Speaking during the flagging off of the roads in Gamawa Local Government Area of the state on Monday, Mohammed said the road construction would be carried out with the Federal Government intervention under its Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Programme (RAAMP).

According to him, the roads represented more than physical infrastructure but symbolises his administration’s vision of Bauchi state where no community was left behind, where development was fair and balanced and driven by the needs of the people with equity and justice.

“We are grateful to the federal government, we are grateful to the World Bank and all the development partners.

“Roads are the architect of opportunities. They connect farmers to markets, women to healthcare, children to schools, security agencies to vulnerable communities and rural economy to national prosperity.

“For decades, many rural communities in Bauchi have suffered neglect. Roads became impassable during rainy seasons, farmers lost produce, students struggled to reach schools and sick people were unable to get timely medical attention,” he said.

Mohammed, who said that the days of neglect of the rural communities were over, added that RAAMP remained a key pillar for his transformative agenda and aligned with his Bauchi project 1&2.

He said RAAMP also aligned with the Bauchi Agricultural modernisation, inclusive development, improved governance, youth empowerment, poverty reduction and sustainable infrastructure.

According to him, RAAMP was not just about roads, it’s about connecting communities, boosting the rural economy and laying the foundation of lasting prosperity.

He highlighted the roads to include 26.8 kilometers Mararaba Liman Katagum-Boli-Kafinmawa-Mararaba Dajin roads, 14.75km Dargazu- Gambaki-Chinade-Gangai road, 28km Gamawa – Sakwa road.

Others included; 14.45km Misau- Beti- Maladunba roads, 6.6km Giade – Tagwaye road, 6.68km Yana-Fago road, 6.71km Mararraban Dajin- Dajin road, 36.65km Dott-Dado- Baraza road, 24km Lanzai-Papa road.

He further explained that the road construction also included 4.91km Gadar Maiwa- Zakara road, 25km Dagu-Ningi road, 8.86km Nabordo – Gadan Doka.

The governor called on traditional rulers to support contractors and remained vigilant and provide intelligence on security and safety.

Also speaking, Engr. Aminu Mohammed, the National Coordinator (RAAMP)
Coordinator said that the state has disbursed over N6 billion in counterpart funding to RAAMP, making it one of the top performing states.

“These roads will open critical agricultural corridors, reduce travel time and post harvest losses, improve access to markets, schools and healthcare.

“It will also enhance rural productivity and inclusion, stimulate economic activities across all the three senatorial zones in the state,” he said.

He called on the contractors to deliver the project with the highest standard of engineering professionalism and compliance with environmental and social safeguard.

The Coordinator also called on the communities to take ownership of the roads and take care of and protect them.