By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
A week after Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide commended him, Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) Interim Administrator, Milland Dikio, says the training of former Niger Delta agitators will not begin until he rids the system of corruption.
He had announced on Tuesday that 400 fake or duplicate names have been discovered by PAP which pays N65,000 monthly to former Niger Delta militants in the deal the Umar Yar’Adua administration stuck in June 2029 to appease the region.
He said he is also investigating the authenticity of more than 3,000 bank accounts into which the money was paid.
IYC has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to make Dikio substantive Administrator because he engages with stakeholders for effective operations, which is “a departure from previous administrations.”
Dikio recounted on Wednesday that when he assumed office in September 2020 he met an entrenched system of inducements, kickbacks, and other illegalities he is not willing to continue with, according to a statement he issued through his Media Assistant, Nneotaobase Egbe.
He accused some officials in the amnesty office of derailing the mandate of PAP because of their selfish interests, frustrating projects by using their offices to seek bribe and stalling projects in the reintegration process.
Dikio said a major agricultural project to train and employ about 800 beneficiaries on crop and livestock farming as well as other agro-based services have been stalled by PAP officials demanding kickbacks.
According to him, the officials are also sitting on the training of 3,000 people in maritime and 520 in fabrication, aviation, and oil and gas.
“[Since my] assumption of office, my mission has been to ensure that delegates are trained to become employable citizens and successful entrepreneurs, who can contribute meaningfully to the economy of the Niger Delta region and the nation at large,” Dikio said.
“This was why I introduced the Train-Employ-Mentor (TEM) model that will ensure that the ex-agitators are trained and mentored overtime thus able to reintegrate successfully into the society thereby increasing the peace, security and economic stability of the Niger Delta region.
“These contracts and projects for training and employment are designed to be vital instruments in the reintegration process, thus induced delays will not do any good to the delegates and cannot benefit the Niger Delta.”
Dikio said his vision remains to make the Niger Delta the best place to live and do business in Nigeria and to stop militancy through the Niger Delta Stabilisation Programme.
“I call on well-meaning citizens to note that insecurity in any part of Nigeria is insecurity everywhere. My team and I are committed to giving our best to make a positive difference.”
IYC commends Dikio’s efficiency on the job
IYC spokesperson Ebilade Ekerefe issued a statement on September 9 which applauded Dikio for his engagement with Niger Delta stakeholders.
“For us, Dikio has gone beyond the expectations of many, especially considering those who have manned that office in recent times. He has stabilised the programme and many stakeholders are pleased with his strategies.
“Dikio has redirected the amnesty programme. The programme has a template and its previous coordinators did not really pursue the template.
“However, since Dikio took over the leadership, he has pursued the programme in a direction that is pleasing to the stakeholders in the region, especially as he engages with them,” Ekerefe said.
He added that Dikio’s engagement has led to peace and stability in the Niger Delta as he visits the region every month to interface with stakeholders.
He appealed to Buhari to honour the wish of Niger Delta stakeholders by making Dikio substantive PAP Administrator to empower him fully to implement the mandate of PAP.
“While we congratulate Dikio on a successful year in office as the PAP boss, we believe that upon his confirmation as the coordinator, he will perform effectively.
“Dikio has the capacity and intellect as he has demonstrated so far. He has carried the people of the region along.
“We implore the federal government to make him the substantive coordinator so that he will have the full operational capacity to administer justice to the programme. We are not comfortable that the amnesty programme is run through an interim basis.
“Our message to [Dikio] is not to be deterred. He should be focused. We know that the office is associated with distractions, so he should not be distracted. He should inform stakeholders about his policy direction so that everybody will be carried along in the process.”