Consequent upon the petition received from some aggrieved persons in Patani Community of Delta State over alleged corruption in Niger Delta Amnesty Programme, a socio-economic rights group has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to use his “good offices and leadership to compel the appropriate government agencies to commence a thorough and effective investigation into the allegation”.
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) executive director, Adetokunbo Mumuni, said SERAP “received a petition from Sukore Daniel, Ekperi Abel, Enodeh Eniyekperi, Ebaretonbofa Keme, Akperi Tamaraebi and Godspower Desmonds, all of Patani Community in Delta State intimating him of the alleged corruption that infested the Amnesty programme.
According to Mumuni, “The petitioners alleged that they have gone through the required training under the Amnesty Programme by the federal government. Although the Amnesty office has issued identification cards to the petitioners and has collected their bank details, they (petitioners) have not received their monthly payment of N65,000 due to them under the Programme from November 2011 to date.”
Mumuni said his organisation was perturbed because the money might have been diverted or mismanaged.
“We are seriously concerned that the accrued allowances to the petitioners might have been stolen, diverted or mismanaged. We fear that these cases may not just be isolated incidents and that they are likely to be a broader pattern of corruption, impunity, and are in large part the consequence of the previous government’s failure to address it.
“We believe that the president can play a leadership role in helping to address the problem and ensure justice and fair play to those affected. Doing so will be entirely consistent with the anti-corruption policy of this government,” the organisation said.
“Nigeria has an obligation under international anti-corruption treaties such as the UN Convention against Corruption to which the country is a state party to investigate any allegations of corruption and mismanagement, as alleged by the petitioners in this case. SERAP believes that a thorough investigation to establish the truth will contribute to transparency and accountability, consistent with the policy of your government. It will also help to provide justice to those that have been affected.
“SERAP therefore urges you to use your good offices and leadership to ensure that the allegations are thoroughly and transparently investigated, and to make public the findings of any investigation. We hope you will give this matter the urgent attention it deserves. We look forward to receiving from you information regarding the steps you are taking to address the issues raised in this petition,” the organisation stated.