To avoid mistakes of the past, nobody should be appointed to head the Presidential Amnesty Programme without inputs from leaders of the region, including Ateke Tom, Government Ekpemokpulo, alias Tompolo and Asari Dokubo.
This is the view of Pastor Reuben Wilson, a chieftain of the APC in Bayelsa State and former South-south coordinator of The Asiwaju Group.
He said the management of the PAP currently was a source of concern to all those who have been involved in the struggle for the development of the Niger Delta and that their input would guide the president in making a better choice, in order not to repeat mistakes of the past.
Wilson, a former freedom fighter and leader of the first phase of former agitators who accepted the federal government’s amnesty programme, also commended the president for the quality of appointments made so far, even as he hailed him for intervening and causing the NLC and health workers to suspend their strike.
He said: “I believe strongly that Nigerians made the right choice by voting you as their President and you shall certainly use your wealth of experience and uncommon wisdom to proffer workable and potent solutions to the myriads of developmental challenges facing the nation. You have truly rekindled in Nigerians a “Renewed Hope” for a better and prosperous future.
“I hereby most humbly appeal to Mr President to deploy same pragmatic and visionary leadership skills to revamp the Presidential Amnesty Programme and make it more effective. The programme is currently suffering from monumental leadership failure, which has led to its bastardization and complete derailment from its foundational principles and objectives.
“Mr President should solve the leadership problem of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, by consulting key critical stakeholders and direct beneficiaries of the Programme, before appointing the next coordinator of the Programme .This is to avoid serious crises that may arise to shatter the existing peace in the Niger Delta region by repeating same mistake of appointing non-stakeholders of the Niger Delta struggle or non-direct beneficiaries of the programme as Coordinators of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, without the inputs of key stakeholders and direct beneficiaries of the programme.
“I would like to suggest that Mr President should hear from key critical stakeholders before appointing the next Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme. Key stakeholders such as High Chief Government Ekpemupolo (a.k.a.GOC, Tompolo), HRM, King Ateke Tom, Alhaji Asari Dokubo, Mr Ebikabowei Victor-Ben (a.k.a.Gen.Boyloaf), High Chief Bibopre Ajube (a.k.a.Gen. Shoot at Sight), should all be consulted. This is to enable Mr President make the right decisions concerning the Presidential Amnesty Programme.”
He lamented that PAP had derailed from the original objective of its creation largely because of the quality of leadership. He said drivers of the programme in recent years were only interested in what they could get from the system instead of pursuing the general good.
He said, “this derailment of the Presidential Amnesty Programme by Coordinators who are non-stakeholders is seriously building up renewed security tension in the Niger Delta region that could lead to another round of hostilities which will have grave negative consequences on the economic well-being of the country. Mr President should consider it as a top priority and act fast to stop it from further derailment in the interest of the country.”
