…As group berates Rep over statement on Gen. Ndiomu

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru, Abuja

National leader of the Third Phase of the Presidential Amnesty Programme and member of the Amnesty Strategic Communication Committee, Comrade Tonye Bobo (a.k.a Sir T), has denied the report that there is a rift between ex- militants and the Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, PAP, Major. Gen. Barry Tariye Ndiomu (retd).

Comrade Bobo in a statement on Friday described a statement credited to a member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Farah Dagogo, as vexatious and inciting.

Dagogo was reported to have claimed that ex-militant leaders from the Niger Delta region were at loggerhead with the Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Major General Barry Tariye Ndiomu over the alleged misuse of limited budgeted funds of PAP.

Dagogo was further accused to have said that ex-militants will not support the alleged plan by Gen. Ndiomu to use the limited Amnesty funds for the purchase and distribution of relief materials for flood victims, stating that, “it’s a recipe for fraud and looting.”

Debunking the allegation, Comrade Bobo noted that during the meeting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Gen. Ndiomu never made any uncomplimentary remarks/statements against the National Security Adviser (NSA), Major Gen. Babagana Monguno (retd) knowingly and unknowingly.

He said the allegation was intended to stir up violence and infighting among the ex-agitators in the region for reasons best known to the authors.

Bobo warned that those rushing to the press to make frivolous allegations against Gen. Ndiomu “may be inviting wrath of the gods of Ijaw land against themselves.”

He maintained that at no occasion did Gen. Ndiomu make such remarks in Port Harcourt during his maiden visit to the Niger Delta region, informing that as a leader of the third phase, he participated in the breakfast meeting the Interim Administrator had with the Strategic Communication Committee and wondered where such “blatant lie and blackmail was coming from.”

Comrade Bobo, who expressed great disappointment at what he described as “such disrespectful statement” being credited to a well known former militant and current member of the House of Representatives, regretted that it was too early to start dragging Gen. Ndiomu’s name, an illustrious Ijaw son and a role model to the mud over selfish ambitions.

He said, the statement was an unnecessary distraction from known and unknown quarters against Gen. Ndiomu’s appointment meant to curry favour or sympathy by playing to the gallery.

The national leader of the third phase ex-agitators, who cautioned against what he described as “the usual pull him down syndrome”, said that they are not more Niger Deltans than others and that every Niger Delta person has equally contributed his/her own quota to the relative peace in the region.

He advised those he called ‘traitors’ who feed on making frivolous claims/allegations against highly placed personalities to desist from such ungodly acts that could divide the people more in the region.

He said, “We urge all and sundry to give the enabling environment to Ndiomu to succeed in his new assignment. We call on the general public to disregard the news stories emanating from that very platform which is considered to be a syndicate group for hatchet jobs. The so called ex-agitators referred to in that malicious story are mere blackmailers who are seeking relevance by all means.”

He said the Niger Delta ex-agitators were not at loggerhead with the new Interim Administrator in any way as they see Gen. Ndiomu as an open minded, resolute and compassionate leader, whose body language has given hope to the ex-agitators.

Bobo said it would be too hasty for anyone to allege misuse of limited budgeted funds of PAP in the present circumstance.

“The Interim Administrator did not say he would spend funds from the programme to purchase relief materials for flood victims, rather, he only showed empathy with the suffering masses across the region, suggesting the possibility of liaising with relevant agencies to ameliorate the effect of the unfortunate natural disaster on the food victims in the region.

“He observed that it was even most worrisome that such a derogatory statement against one of the finest brains the Nigerian Armed Forces had produced in recent times was emanating from an ex-agitators under the guise of Coalition of Ex-Militants and endorsed by Boma Inewariku (a.k.a. Atangba-one).

 “The Third Phase ex-agitators are not surprised that someone like Gen. Boma Inewariku, (a.k.a. Atangba-one) was being used to circulate such uncomplimentary remark against the person and office of Maj. Gen. Ndiomu who served the nation meritoriously.”