The Ex-Agitators’ Leadership Forum (EALF), Bayelsa State Chapter, has appealed to the sole administrator of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr Samuel Ogbuku, to refrain from supporting the Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Maj. Gen. Barry Ndiomu (rtd), against them, saying such move would affect the relationship between them and the NDDC.
Chairman of the ex-agitators’ forum, High Chief. Charles James Kurobo, made this appeal in Yenagoa, saying that they are embittered because they are no longer comfortable with the components of the amnesty programme set up by the Federal Government to sustain the peace enjoyed in the Niger Delta region.
According to the forum, their call for the sack of the PAP boss is irreversible because Gen. Ndiomu has continued to keep deft ears and blind eyes towards their plights, while calling on the National Security Adviser (NSA), Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) and Inspector General of Police (IGP) to urgently intervene and encourage Ndiomu to redirect his steps towards the context and goals of the program.
In statement made available to newsmen in Yenagoa, Chief Kurobo “the reigning peace in the region is sustained to attract investors” has become a common saying or slogan, so-to-say and we are no longer comfortable when components set up by the federal government to sustain the peace enjoyed so far are the ones pushing the said peace to fragility.
“We appreciate Dr. Ogbuku for his efforts to repositioning the NDDC for continuous improvement and applaud such laudable achievement but aligning with Gen. Barry Ndiomu at the time of persistent calls for his suspension and immediate arrest is not in the best interest of the NDDC boss and we advice him not to join issues bedeviling the Ex-agitators’ Leadership forum, Bayelsa State Chapter of especially the first phase leaders and the PAP with the NDDC.
“We have done our best and we know it. We also appreciate the world’s knowledge on the corporate ways of addressing issues beyond street agitations but it is also our responsibility to let the world know the appointees mandated by the federal government in some quarters, to manage and sustain the peace, are those pushing us back to the streets because they flourish more during chaos and crisis.
“For as much as we don’t want to be seen as gullible for such antics, Gen. Ndiomu’s deft ears and blind eyes towards the first phase leaders from Bayelsa State can no longer be condoned because we are overstretched already. You can not expect us to stay off the streets by deliberately subjecting us to penury and to be honest, we are at the end of that line because the IA has given us no room.
“We honestly can not continue like this. We have made series of appeals over the state of the PAP under Major Gen. Barry Ndiom’s deplorable behavior and we, the Ex-agitators’ leadership forum, Bayelsa State chapter are saying we can not take this anymore!
“We are once again calling on the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to immediately suspend and arrest the interim Administrator of the PAP as his continued stay in office may spark another regional crisis from ex-militants who genuinely gave up arms.
“He is continually creating room for a crisis he cannot manage by initiating appointments on our behalf and introducing figures we can not identify or point out there roles during the struggle. It’s never been heard about such an office as ‘The national Chairman of Ex-agitators’.
“Sponsoring people for publications with titles just so they attend secret meetings like the one held in Port Harcourt recently where the NDDC played host, was not in the interest of peace or the Ex-agitators’ Leadership forum because chapters were in attendance, including Bayelsa State, meaning we were not invited, Bayelsa State Chapter.”
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