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By Amos Odhe, Yenagoa
The newly elected national chairman of the Third phase batch of ex-Agitators in the Niger Delta, general Elaye Slaboh, said his leadership will ensure that beneficiaries do not resort to protest, that usually leads to the blockage of the East-West road (especially at Mbiama), but will seek dialogue for a mutual relationship between the ex-agitators and Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Program, PAP, Major Gen Tariye Barry Ndiomu.
Slaboh attributed the incessant protests along the East-West Road to lack of information and break down of communication between the office of the interim administrator and “some disgruntled privileged beneficiaries.”
He said very soon the blockade of the road will be a thing of the past.
Slaboh, who hails from Agbere community in Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, made this known after an enlarged meeting of the national leaders and leaders drawn from Delta, Rivers and Edo states, held in Yenagoa.
He noted that after their inauguration, he felt it was imperative for them to gather to familiarize and introduce and identify themselves and enlighten themselves on the programs of the Presidential Amnesty Program. This, he said, became necessary “because the office does not know most of the things happening,” and the onus is on them “to give the authorities the right and proper information because a lot of persons have been misleading the PAP office based on their own selfish interest.
“Reason for the enlarged meeting of the national leaders and leaders of the third phase of the presidential Amnesty Program (PAP) is to identify, familiarize and enlighten ourselves for harmonious relationship between beneficiaries and the office of Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Program, Major General Tariye Barry Ndiomu.
“We as critical stakeholders, we do not want to jeapadise it because they stand to gain more from the program as a people. It is our duty as leaders to enlighten them to avoid misinformation and get aquinted with correct information,” he said.
Slaboh therefore called on beneficiaries to shun any act that will give them a negative image, and promised that protest will be reduced to the barest minimum during his tenure. “People are angered by wrong information due to negative information,” he said and promised to give the right information to the Interim Administrator.
Members were also enjoined to liase with national leaders in their domain and to avoid friction. He said most of the frictions were attributed to lack of information and once the right information is given there will be no room for protest and blocking of the East – West road (Mbiama) which to an extent has been reduced.
Also speaking, the national publicity secretary of Third Phase of PAP, aka ‘Who Knows Tomorrow,’ general Inko Brighstar, from Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, commended the newly elected national chairman of the Third Phase ex-agitators of the Presidential Amnesty Program, general Elaye Slaboh for convening the inaugural meeting, and used the opportunity to reiterate the reasons for protest, which he said “has been due to break down in communication and the selfishness of our colleagues who usually mislead the office by giving wrong information to the interim administrator thereby causing the misleading of the interim administrator and now that we are on board we are going to do things right.
“Hence there has been reason to tell them the right thing to do and lack of information who mislead the interim Administrator has been responsible for protests at East West road.
“This is a security stabilization program, you cannot use military force on them. Of course they will react, especially ex agitators. Whoever that is agitating needs a listening ear, dialogue should be the last resort as leaders we have vowed to give out only right information,” he said.
He stressed that the Amnesty program has four phases, but that only one has been implemented, “that is disarmament, while demobilization, orientation and people have not been educated, while others are unattended to and some persons have called for the winding up the program, which is uncalled for.
“We still clamour for the increase in stipends to beneficiaries. Since 2019 people have paid N65,000. There is the need for the increase of stipends paid to the leaders who are receiving same thing with their followers.
“It should be gazetted at least N2m or N3m for whoever that comes to know that provision has been made for leaders to take care of those who were not captured during disarmament and because there is no specific money for the leaders, they resort to tampering with beneficiaries’ stipends. This is our candid appeal,” he said.
In his contribution, general Lucky Jonah, aka ‘Oil Money,’ from Delta State said there has been clamour, agitation and marginalization, especially in his state, and urged the office of the Presidential Amnesty Program “to carry everybody along without discrimination.
“We call on him to carry everybody along in Delta State axis and urge the IA to carry everybody along and urge President Ahmed Tinubu to confirm him as the substantive Interim Administrator of PAP for everybody to be carried along especially those from oil producing communities,” he said.
Jonah equally called on the office to also increase the N65,000 stipends due to inflation in the country, adding that there should special funds for the leaders to avoid the leaders from receiving the same thing with their followers, while he commended the office for introducing the loan scheme “which has made some of us to become self reliance.
“As a beneficiary we embarked on contribution, ten of us in number. which l collected and ploughed into a boutique business. Today l am proud to say am a landlord. Kudos to PAP,” he said.
He added that “the program has come along way. As a grassroot program we have been stabilized with the Cooperative scheme, though we appreciate the impact, but like Oliver Twist we urge him to do more for us, especially now the minimum wage of 35,000 has been approved, an upward review of the monthly stipends will be appreciated.”
