Leaders and members of the Third Phase Ex-agitators in the Niger Delta have again called on President Muhammadu Buhari to confirm the appointment of the Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Col. Milland Dikio (rtd.).
The National Chairman of the group, ‘General’ Tonye Bobo, made the call Tuesday when he and his team visited the Federated Correspondents’ Chapel (FCC) of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
Colonel Milland Dikio (rtd.) has been running the affairs of PAP for two years in acting capacity as the Interim Coordinator.
Bobo said the confirmation of Dikio as the substantive Coordinator of PAP and Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs was long overdue.
He stated: “You will all agree with me that this very call to make or confirm Col. Milland Dikio (rtd) has become overdue as the substantive Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP).
“It will also interest you to note that since Dikio came on board as the Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) we have witnessed a paradigm shift on the programme in terms of relative peace across the region.
“Dikio’s leadership has also led to change of mindset of ex-agitators, upward oil production, entrepreneurship, engagements with stakeholders, scholarship to ex-agitators to some of the best institutions within and abroad and Dikio’s credible performance record is still counting.
“Col. Dikio (rtd) has also introduced the novel ‘Train, Employ and Mentor’ scheme (TEM) with the first graduation of 349 ex-agitators of various skills at the Bramada International Skill Works Limited in Ondo State owned by one of the famous freedom fighters, High Chief D. Ajube, aka Shoot-at-Sight, which has brought another turnaround and tremendous impact on the programme.”
Bobo also said the recent deployment of over 1,400 ex-agitators to acquire skills in the areas of Aircraft Pilots/Engineers, Agriculture, Oil & Gas, Marine Sector, Clean up of Oil Spillages, among others, had stood Dikio out as an accomplished administrator with high managerial acumen.
Bobo added: “On assumption of office in August 2020, Dikio inherited debts to the tune of N72 billion. And the good news is that with the limited resources available to the Amnesty office, he has been able to clear over N45 billion owed to various contractors.
“We, therefore, call on you to use your various media platforms to call on President Muhammadu Buhari to confirm Col. Milland Dikio (rtd.) as the substantive Coordinator and Special Adviser on NigerDelta Affairs to the President in order to sustain and stabilise the programme.”