Ex-agitators from across the nine Niger Delta states under the aegis of Signatories to the Presidential Amnesty Declaration For Peace and Development have said that they will kick against any coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Program, who does not have the understanding of what the programm stands for.
The group alleged that one Milland Dixon Dikio has been appointed as the coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Program.
In a statement issued vie email in Yenagoa, by its coordinator, Comr. Kingsley jackrich reads that, “we will resist the appointment of Dikio if the unverified news is true, saying it would be an act of one too many in the bizarre appointments of persons into the office, persons who completely have no understanding of the Amnesty Program”.
The group further said that though the official spokespersons of the President, Segun Adesina, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant on Media didn’t announce the appointment but it is not ready to fold its arms to watch the federal government impose a coordinator on former Niger Delta freedom fighters.
Parts of the statement reads: “we understand that government business and most especially that of the Presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is done with utmost respect for due process, hence we have found it difficult to believe the said appointment.
“However we wish to make known our position to His Excellency President Mohammadu Buhari, that we will resist this appointment if this happens to be the case, this is one too many in the bizarre appointments of persons into the office of coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Program.
“We have decided to sheath our swords out of love for the Niger Delta region, respect for the region’s elders who have constantly appealed and played intermediary roles of peace and also to demonstrate that we are not opposed to President Mohammadu Buhari personally or his administration. Infact we believe President Mohammadu Buhari is not a cog in the wheel of the Niger Delta progress. While we await a reciprocal goodwill gesture from the administration of President Buhari with regards to appointing a competent hand in running the tokens in the form of the Amnesty Program, we will continue to hold the peace.
“For over five years we have witnessed the crass display of incompetence, subterfuge and total antipathy by Babagana Monguno in the affairs of the Presidential Amnesty Program and to the people of the Niger Delta, we have come to the conclusion that he’s unfit, deliberately mischievous and ill equipped to properly evaluate and appreciate the hotspots of the nation’s security architecture, as often displayed by him, this NSA has for too long played the ostrich with our common destiny when the interest of the nation is at stake.
“As signatories to the Amnesty declaration and beneficiaries of the Presidential Amnesty program we shall avail Mr. President Mohammadu Buhari of the following; It’s an open secret that the Amnesty Program domiciled under the NSA Babagana Monguno is a complete failure, it should be noted that this same program ran seamlessly on autopilot before Monguno made it a monumental failure.
“Mr. President sir, we have resolved henceforth not to work with the office of the NSA Babagana Monguno, the Presidential Amnesty Program needs to be domiciled directly in the presidency for better supervision.
“exalted the President Mohammadu Buhari, we once again appeal to your exalted office and implore you as father of the nation to listen to the voice of reason, and we join the call of aggrandizementders of the region that you appoint from amongst the ranks of those for whom this program is meant a suitable candidate into the office of the coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Program.”