Tompolo, other Amnesty Phase One leaders urged to collaborate for peace, progress in the Niger Delta

Former militant, Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo and other leaders of Phase One of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) have been urged to unite and work together in order to resolve internal issues militating against progress of the programme in the Niger Delta.

Phase 2 PAP chairman in Delta State, Chief Kingsley Muturu, gave the admonition in Bomadi, headquarters of Bomadi Local Government Area of the state on Sunday.

Muturu, who’s a peace ambassador, stressed that unity and singleness of purpose were needed to move the programme forward, adding that Col. Milland Dixion Dikio (rtd) should look inwards and address some anomalies plaguing the programme.

Besides Tompolo, Muturu appealed to Ateke, Boyloaf, Ogunboss, Africa, Shoot-At-Sight and others to lead in this all-beneficial task of peace and unity among beneficiaries of the programme.

“I want to call on our leaders in the struggle, the leaders of Phase One, to reason together and settle lingering internal issues between beneficiaries and the PAP office, ranging from legal tussles to customary disagreements.

“It’s time for us to meet as a people with one goal, settle differences among us and the PAP office to enable us achieve our goal of accepting amnesty from federal government.

“We, leaders in Phase Two, will always recognize leaders in Phase One as our leaders.

“We shouldn’t allow internal wranglings to slow down the pace of progress made so far in the programme, as we have a lot of beneficiaries who graduated through the programme.

“So, I appeal to Phase One leaders to swallow whatever anger that might have been stirred up from the PAP office and put heads together to move to next level because this programme is meant for us,” he pleaded.

Speaking further as regards the amnesty office, he urged “Dikio to also look into issues that are bringing up these court cases among beneficiaries and the office; this is because they’re within our ambit to settle amicably.

“He should look into the issue of deployment of students to various schools, as most students are deployed to mushroom institutions while paying huge amount of school fees. Dikio should please help check the process of deployment of students.

“The decision of the PAP office to work to ensure employment of beneficiaries in the organizations they’re trained is highly welcomed by ex-agitators, we wholeheartedly support this idea.

“I want to advise that the vocational training programme for beneficiaries be stopped because it’s totally a scam and we have evidence to prove. Those allegedly trained on welding, building materials and other skills are all scams.

“Dikio has just come on board and I would want him to find out some hidden truths about the programme. I saw some of these businessmen coming to our villages with cameras, taking photo shots of stores belonging to others as evidence of their vocational training business.

“I also want to advise Dikio not to set up any committee in any guise in the PAP office because it’s a waste of resources. More so, such committee will give him headache at the end of the day.

“As a security personnel, Dikio should endeavour to visit his people in the creeks and communities in Niger Delta as a bona fide son of the soil.”

While declaring the development of the Niger Delta as sacrosanct, the former militant called on President Muhammadu Buhari to increase the establishment of modular refineries in the Niger Delta.