A group,Niger Delta Peace Advocate has condemned on going attacks in the media that tend to impinge on the character of Major -General Barry Ndiomu, the interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme PAP
In a statement issued by the Chairman,Ebitimi Kurowei and Ekpe Ekere, Publicity Secretary, the group said any campaign of Calumny directed at the PAP interim administrator will fail given his good works at the agency..
The group was reacting to a letter sent to the National Security Adviser by some elements it claimed are faceless seeking the removal of Ndiomu as PAP Interim Administrator.
The statement Captioned “Campaign of calumny against Ndiomu will fail” reads:
We Niger Delta Peace Advocate being major stakeholders in the Niger Delta region have observed with dismay, the current media onslaught, campaign of calumny and character assassination against the person and office of Maj.-Gen. Barry Ndiomu (rtd.), the Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), by some faceless groups and individuals.
Ordinarily, silence would have been a sufficient response to the relentless yet futile attempts at discrediting Gen. Ndiomu and his good works at PAP. However, the barrage of attacks against the hardworking Interim Administrator have recently become more organised, intense and desperate, thus demanding a retort from well-meaning groups and individuals who truly understand how the PAP functions generally and how it presently functions under the leadership ofNdiomu.
In one of the most recent installments of mischief makers’ hysterical attempt to discredit Ndiomu, a so-called group of Niger Delta elders, under the auspices too insignificant to be accorded an underserved mention, wrote a petition to the National Security Adviser, Maj-Gen. Babagana Monguno, whose office supervises the PAP, seeking the removal of Ndiomu as PAP Interim Administrator. The group cited distraction by his related role as Chairman of the Special Investigative Panel on Oil Theft/Losses in Nigeria.
Knowing what those distractors stand for and what their ultimate goal is, it is very easy to either dismiss their laughable and unfounded allegations against Ndiomu or tear them down by setting the record straight. And we have decided to do the latter.
When President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Ndiomu as the Interim Administrator of PAP in September 2022, it was with a task to wind down the programme due to the many controversies surrounding it. However, the Federal Government later had a rethink following some stakeholders intervention initiated by Ndiomu and allowed the programme to continue under strict conditions. Thanks to Ndiomu’s leadership qualities, forthright assessment of the situation and courageous willingness to carry out needed reforms.
One of those conditions leading to the decision to retain PAP was that its database, which was compromised over the years, had to be cleaned up. In November 2022, for instance, internal and external audits of PAP’s database uncovered monumental fraud in the payment of stipends. In a particular case, an individual was receiving stipends meant for 33 persons through fraudulent means! Ndiomu also initiated plans to renegotiate existing contracts with its vendors and ordered the immediate verification process of all delegates. Through those measures, the Interim Administrator was able to save over NI .5 billion.
As a well-meaning group, we recognise Ndiomu’s efforts to clean up the ex-agitators’ database. We are certain that, although his efforts at sanitising the PAP have generated disquiet in some quarters and are causing panic among those who want the status quo to be retained for their selfish interests, those with nothing to hide have nothing to worry about. We, therefore, completely support Ndiomu ‘s decision to only pay contractors whose works have been completed and verified. We strongly advise that, rather than sponsor propaganda in the media to manipulate Ndiomu, contractors should focus on ensuring that they have all evidence of completed work as a requirement for payment.
We commend President Buhari for his insistence on transparency at all interventionist agencies in the Niger Delta and for finding Ndiomu worthy of the enormous task of re-assessing, redirecting and implementing a holistic review of the PAP. We also call on the NSA, General Monguno to disregard and dismiss all petitions against Ndiomu and continue to effectively supervise the programme in line with the present administration’s policy on accountability.
While we urge Ndiomu not to be distracted and assure him of the support of legitimate elders and people of the Niger Delta, we call on his detractors to work with him to enable Ndiomu to deliver on the much-needed reforms of the programme. The current state of agitation and rancour augurs ill for the image of the Niger Delta as a region and the peace-building component of the PAP.
Finally, we are confident that Ndiomu can accomplish his tasks as chairman of the Special
Investigative Panel on Oil Theft/Losses in Nigeria, as well as the Interim Administrator of PAP,
given his track record in service.
