World enews: Presidential Amnesty: Ijaw Youths Accuse Coordinator, Others Of Using Programme To Sponsor Foreign Education For Relations, Aides

Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) officials have been accused of deploying about 40 non-beneficiaries of the programme to go for foreign postgraduate courses to be sponsored by the scheme.

Ijaw Youths Council raised the alarm on Sunday in a statement issued in Warri, Delta state and signed by Commander Joseph Oyinkuro.

The beneficiaries, who are said to be close aides and relatives of top PAP officials, will go for postgraduate degree programmes for a year with their tuition fees and living expenses paid upfront under PAP’s education policy, they alleged.

According to the youths, the alleged plan is being backed with an appraisal report to defend the decision taken by the Interim Amnesty Coordinator, Col. Milland Dixon Dikio (rtd.).

The group claimed the plan will exclude the official beneficiaries of the programme.

The youths accused the National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno (rtd.) of instructing Dikio and senior staff members at the Amnesty Office to ensure the foreign training for the 40 persons is slotted in the schedule of the Amnesty Programme before its expected termination in 2023.

However, Oyinkuro recalled that few weeks to the end of Dikio’s one-year tenure in office, which was lapsed on August 26, 2021, at least payments for 300 amnesty beneficiaries were suspended due to alleged fraud.

“These are beneficiaries that have been receiving monthly payments for over 10 years without any issues,” he said.

“We have now uncovered reports that Col. Dikio (rtd.) and his close aides, Mr. Alfred Kemepador, Head of Reintegration and Mr. Emmanuels Agiri, Head of Data Management allegedly conspired to use the suspended names to create new beneficiaries for themselves, to enable them receive the N65,000.00 monthly stipend per beneficiary after they leave office which will run into millions of naira on a monthly basis.

“We call for the immediate suspension of Mr. Alfred Kemepador – Head of Reintegration and Mr. Emmanuels Agiri – Head of Data Management, pending the outcome of a full investigation because these individuals must not be allowed to remain on their seats to cover up their tracks,” he added.