By Kingsley Muturu & Collins Arigo

We thank God Almighty for President Muhammadu Buhari’s successful medical trip abroad and safe return home. We also pray for your quick recovery from whatever ailment in order for you to ably pilot the affairs of the nation to greater heights.

Your Excellency, we commend you for your determination to implement the amnesty programme to a successful end, which you have emphasized in your various public speeches. We believe that you have a good plan for the programme considering your promises to implement it to a success.

We ex-agitators, Chief Kingsley Muturu (Peace Ambassador) and Chief Collins Arigo (national vice chairman Phase 2), speaking on behalf of Niger Delta ex-militant leaders, also wish to thank Vice President  Yemi Osinbajo, Senate President Bukola Saraki, Sen. Leo Ogor and Sen. Peter Nwaoboshi for their doggedness to see that the programme becomes a success.

President Muhammadu Buhari signs Instrument of Ratification of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change in State House on 28th March 2017

We are also aware of the antagonistic posture of the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosu, against the smooth running of the programme in her reluctance to release approved funds for the programme.

But we believe  she will not succeed in her efforts to thwart the success of the programme.

Your Excellency, we wish to present before you very salient issues working as stumbling block against the running of the programme, among which is the seemingly reluctance by government to pay our stipends as at when due. This is indeed an eyesore in the smooth running of the programme.

This issue came to a height late last year, particularly the festive period, when government turned its back on beneficiaries which caused tension and speculations among us. As a result of this “inhuman treatment” meted out on us by federal government through the amnesty office, which has also bred unfounded allegations against us, we resolved as follows:

First and foremost, we observe the deliberate delay or withholding of our monthly stipends since last year as a punitive action by government, with resultant allegations from some ex-militants, that we their leaders have connived with the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs and Coordinator of the amnesty programme, Brig. Gen. Paul Boroh (rtd), to divert their money or do business with such money.

Your Excellency, we note here that there is now distrust among us with this unfounded allegation and some ex-agitators have already gone on the rampage with some of them venting their anger on oil installations in the region.

The truth is that our silence over the delay or withholding of our monthly stipends was basically a display of maturity as leaders. We want to use this medium to inform them, as well as the whole world, that there is no connivance whatsoever between us and Boroh. It is just a fiction of their imagination. We believe it is rather a deliberate action by federal government to delay payment for whatever reasons known to it.

We hereby urge the federal government to pay up all arrears owed beneficiaries of the amnesty programme.

That, we leaders of ex-agitators in the region have met and concluded plans to storm Abuja, our nation’s capital, to carry out a peaceful protest over this mistreatment at the expiration of two weeks after publication of this letter in the media.

We have already set the stage on and will troop into the nation’s capital with nothing less than ten thousand ex-agitators for the peaceful protest. We do not want this issue to further disturb the peace of the region and we say enough is enough.

*Muturu and  Arigo are Peace Ambassador and National Vice President Phase 2  respectively.