…express dismay over incessant changes of amnesty bosses

By Gabriel Ewepu

WITH urgency to galvanize human capacity development and productivity of youths in the Niger Delta region towards achieving peace and justice, ex-agitators under the auspices of Phase 3 Amnesty group, Monday, demanded extension of tenure of Interim Administrator, Presidential Amnesty Programme, Colonel Milland Dikio (Retired) to consolidate on positive impact made on youths in the Niger Delta region.

This was contained in a statement signed by National Secretary, Phase 3 Amnesty, Tam Odogwu, where it explained why Dikio deserves extension of his tenure, which the group pointed that he has “to carry on with the innovative policies and programmes aimed at changing the narrative of the amnesty programme.”

The statement reads in part, “The Phase 3 call on the National Security Adviser to the President to timely do the needful by writing to the President on extension of the tenure of Col. Millard Dixon Dikio (RTD) to carry on with the innovative policies/programmes aimed at changing the narrative of the amnesty programme.

“The Interim Administrator has within one year brought some level of sanity and transparency into the system with a high level of judicious management of any available fund provided by the government.

“Dikio as a good administrator has channeled every available money to the very important and most critical issues thereby bringing public protest which was a common phenomenon under control.

“It is noteworthy that Dikio has initiated few innovative policies aimed at making the beneficiaries to think beyond the N65, 000 monthly stipend.

“One of the policies is on train, engage and employ or settle as similar to the Igbo apprenticeship pattern of establishing entrepreneurs. Some of this policies will definitely be kept aside or altered if Dikio is asked to step aside and another to step in.”

The statement also pointed out that, “We need stability for this administration. Col. Millard Dixon Dikio (rtd) should be asked to continue to manage the programme if the Government sincerely mean well for the Niger Delta Presidential Amnesty (beneficiaries) programme.”

Speaking on the implication of incessant changes, the statement maintained that, “It is a fact that one of Nigeria’s biggest problems is the lack of policy continuity. There is hardly any genuine continuation of policies been handed over by a predecessor since the Presidential Amnesty Programme commenced.

“The amnesty programme has suffered the same faith in the past. The programme will continue to suffer if the President via the National Security Adviser continues changing Interim Administrator from one to another or from one special adviser to the president on Niger Delta Affairs/Chairman Presidential Amnesty Programme to another within four years.

 “The negative effect of these is more on the beneficiaries particularly those in various skills and entrepreneurship training and higher institutions for academic training. Those gaining from it have started to lobby again to lobby Dikio out so that one of them can come in.

The group also expressed dismay over, “The step in, step out style used by the government to favour their political loyalists or former colleagues and friends thereby making the programme to lose focus therefore should be discouraged and discontinued.”