The Presidential Amnesty Programme has said it followed due process in its decision in delisting some beneficiaries from the regular payment voucher of the Presidential Amnesty Programme.
Ex-militant leaders and stakeholders from the Niger Delta region had raised the alarm over the delisting of 3,548 beneficiaries from the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP).
According to them, this was done in a bid to terminate the programme by the December 31, 2022 deadline.
They however urged the Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Major General Barry Tariye Ndiomu (rtd.) to reinstate those affected.
According to the ex-militant leaders, in a statement via electronic mail, signed by former ex-militant leader, General Boma Inewariku (aka Atangba-One), those delisted from Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) without due consultation with the stakeholders include Single slots: 2,954, Bulk: 594, the breakdown of Bulk: King Ateke’s camp: 287, GOC Tompolo’s camp: 227, and General Boyloaf’s camp: 80.”
“Grand total: 3,548 and ₦230,620,000.00 per month. The affected beneficiaries might no longer receive their monthly stipends,” the statement said.
They also claimed that other ex-militant leaders’ camps scheduled to be delisted belong to Pastor Reuben Wilson, Abraham Ingobere (aka Lami – Speaker, Bayelsa State Assembly), Eris Paul (AKA Ogun-Boss), Joshua Macaiver, and others.
However, a reliable source said the exercise followed due process, noting that the exercise was necessitated by the discovery of obvious irregularities on the payment voucher, where some beneficiaries who had been trained and empowered were still receiving their monthly stipend while others who were currently undergoing in-training still found their names on the regular payment voucher.
The source explained that the irregularities on the payment list were recently uncovered by an internal audit that was instituted by the new interim administrator with a view to cleaning up the data base of the programme.
According to the source, those affected by the delisting exercise include, trained and empowered beneficiaries whose names are still on the voucher, those who receive both the in-training allowance of N70,000 alongside the regular N65,000 monthly stipends.
Also affected, are beneficiaries with multiple entries on the payment voucher and beneficiaries who have already graduated from higher institutions of learning in formal education.
The source said, it was only 2,954 beneficiaries that were recently delisted from payment voucher and not 3,548 beneficiaries as being speculated in the media, describing the report as sensational and misleading.
He stressed that such duplications, among other irregularities on the payment voucher would no longer be tolerated when government is thinking of reworking the programme to make it more beneficial to the people of Niger Delta region.
The source further explained that since the Presidential Amnesty Programme commenced 12 years ago, this was the first time that 9.8% of the 30,000 delegates were being delisted.