Traditional Rulers, Elders In Delta Ask Tinubu To Stop N5.6Bn Payment For Alleged Fraudulent Contracts By Amnesty Office

A group comprising traditional rulers, elders, and youth groups from the Niger Delta region have written an urgent appeal letter, marked as a “Save Our Soul” (SOS) message, to President Bola Tinubu over alleged financial fraud at the Amnesty Office.

The petition concerns the Presidential Amnesty Office’s intention to allocate a sum of N5.6 billion to contracts suspected to be fraudulent.

The misconduct allegedly occurred under the direction of the previous Interim Administrator, and these payments have already been registered on the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) platform.

This move is reportedly to ensure that the funds will be promptly disbursed as soon as the expected federal allocation enters the Amnesty Treasury Single Account (TSA).

According to them, the N5.6 billion federal allocation is still being expected, and the Presidential Amnesty Office has allegedly been under severe pressure from the Interim Administrator.

Meanwhile, they accuse the administrator of leaving the country on Friday, May 26, 2023 for fear of being arrested by Tinubu’s administration and to ensure that the payment for the alleged fraudulent contracts to his friends and cronies was made as soon as possible.

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The group under the aegis of the Coalition of Ex-Militant Leaders, led by former General Boma Inewariku, Gabriel Atumani Victor and James Ebiaredei Collins, said “despite the fact that Maj. Gen. Barry T. Ndiomu (rtd.) travelled out of the country and failed to attend the inauguration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for fear of possible arrest from the anti-graft agencies over past questionable deeds for allegedly paying billions of naira to his close aides and fraudulent contractors, the office is prepared to squander the expected N5.6billion from the Federal Government to his allotted fraudulent contractors.”

Former ex-militant Inewariku described Ndiomu as the worst PAP boss and the most hated man across the Niger Delta region.

He said, “Ndiomu has destroyed the once beautiful Amnesty Programme due to his selfishness, and greed. For the first time in the history of the PAP, under Ndiomu, not a single individual or Amnesty beneficiary was trained or empowered, rather, Ndiomu delisted over 3,000 beneficiaries from the Amnesty database and squandered their funds which were all budgeted for.”

The group pointed out that there is rising confusion within and outside the Presidential Amnesty Programme with thousands of students and other beneficiaries stranded with their allowances, benefits, scholarship funds and other emoluments remaining unpaid.

They called on President Tinubu to order the heads of ministries, parastatals, and agencies including intervention agencies such as the Presidential Amnesty Office to halt desperate last-minute payments perceived as fraudulent.

The elders and youths called on President Tinubu to save the programme from last-minute looting by ordering that Ndiomu should immediately hand over to the most senior director.