Aggrieved ex-militant leaders on Saturday, September 21, 2019, appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to sack the management of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, PAP, coordinated by Prof. Charles Dokubo, following alleged incompetence.
The first phase ex-militant leaders insisted that the President should replace Dokubo to enable unbiased investigations into massive fraudulent diversion of funds meant for training and empowerment of ex-militants leveled against his administration.
The former creek commanders said they would no longer condone any malfeasance in the amnesty scheme and demanded that the programme should henceforth be run by a person with knowledge of the region’s problems and demands of ex-militants.
The ex-militants in a statement signed by their national public relations officer, Godsgift Ayabowe, said their rising tension and anger against the current management of the scheme might puncture the peace in the region.
They said: “We are tired of the huge fraud that has threatened the peace we fought for in the Niger Delta. If the current management is not sacked, the rise in production of crude oil may be a thing of the past. This current management does not know how to handle security, which the amnesty office is meant to do.
“It is even more shameful to the people of the Niger Delta that the management has reduced the amnesty office and the budgeted funds to ridicule with women fighting over ex-militant welfare fund.
“Dokubo should be reassigned to the university environment and not the amnesty office. He does not understand what the amnesty office is meant to do. We are are angry and our boys may go out of control.
“Why can’t Dokubo emulate the zero tolerance to corruption style of President Buhari? Brig. Gen. Paul Boroh who despite understanding the security aspect of the Amnesty office was sacked due to alleged corruption, who is Dokubo that can not be sacked?
“Instead of performance,he is busy using Amnesty resources to sponsor media campaigns against the minister of state for petroleum resources, Chief Timipre Sylva and High Chief Government Ekpemupolo also known as Tompolo.
“We want him sacked and be replaced by someone who was involved in the Niger Delta struggle and understand the problems of the youths of the region.”
The ex-militant leaders said some of their members, who served on the Investigative Panel set up by Dokubo to look into the massive looting at the Amnesty Vocational Centre in Kaima, Bayelsa State were dismissed following some discoveries.
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