By Festus Ahon

NATIONAL Chairman, phase II of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, self-styled ‘Gen’ Aso Tambo, has lamented the delay in the payment of stipends owed Niger Delta ex-militants by the federal government.   Addressing newsmen shortly after self-styled ‘Gen’ Stephen Ebisintei was returned unopposed as Chairman of Bayelsa State chapter of phase II of the amnesty programme, Tambo said: “the amnesty office under Brigadier General Paul Boro (rtd) has been delaying our monthly stipends that led to five months arrears; we were then paid two months stipends on 5 January, 2017.

According to him, “the Bayelsa State chapter of the phase II of the amnesty programme has been having leadership problem all through 2016. We have resolved the problem and in the process agreed that election be conducted.

“All the 6,166 ex-agitators under the phase II of the Presidential Amnesty Programme have agreed that in an unknown date, we will  take our protest to the amnesty office in Abuja to ensure that the our three months stipends arrears are released to us”.

“We will make further movement to the ministry of finance. Information reaching us is that it is the Minister of Finance that is the brain behind the delay in the payment of our stipends”.