Ex-Freedom Fighters Battle Amnesty Boss Over N750,000 Training Pay-Off 

Edith CHUKU

Former Niger Delta freedom fighters undergoing vocational training by Presidential Amnesty Programme PAP, have called on the amnesty office headed by Gen. Barry Tariye Ndiomu (retd) to eschew alleged plot to exit them from the amnesty programme.

Also, they are insisting that at the end of their training, PAP should not deprive them of any of their supposed empowerment benefits, even as they reiterate their disapproval of the N750,000 as payoff.

The aggrieved ex-agitators stated this when over 200 of them stormed the PAP Head Office in Port Harcourt, on Monday, on a peaceful protest to register their displeasure.

They are urging the amnesty office to provide all their necessary benefits and entitlements; else they will not vacate the training centres, even as their training is expected to end in less than 13 days’ time.

The protesters insisted that the alleged exit plan must begin from those empowered before them. They also urged the amnesty boss to dialogue with their stakeholders, publish their terms and conditions to the public, before such arrangement will be accepted.

Among those who took turns to express their grievances in an exclusive interview with TNN were, Akpevwe Akpovwiehor, Mr. Akpos Pattens, Mr. Duke Richard, Mr. Ogulasuowei Emma, Mr. Borgu Ikiyorkebi Edwin, Okoro Saniekoro, Joseph Minabo, Mr.  Prince Ikechukwu Ajie, Mr. Martins Friday Ani, believed to be undergoing vocational trainings at Sunup Logistics, Giolee Global Resources, Bradama International Skill Works Limited.

The trainees while chanting solidarity songs, displayed placards which reads, “You cannot exist us with N750,000.” “Provide our laptops.” “Ndiomu segregation is evil.” “if you want to stop our payment, then pay off should be N30,000,000.” “Gen. Ndiomu you are a thief, reflect our agreement.”

Speaking, Mr. Bobos Ebizimor told TNN that, “we are here for a peaceful protest to the amnesty office, when the new IA, the Interim Administrator came into office, he came to our training centers and ensured us that all our fundamental training benefits and empowerment would come to us, now last week, he sent some people from the office to bring a form for us which they specifically stated that it is an empowerment grant scheme, and verbally they told us that if you fill this said form and collect N750,000 for empowerment benefits that they will exit us out of the programme, which is very, very wrong, if you want to exit us from this programme, don’t we have leaders as stakeholders? Go and discuss with our leaders and stakeholders, if you want to exit us you have people you have trained for the past nine years, 12 years, start exiting them, exit them first.”

Ebizimor requested that, “all our entitlement and our empowerment benefits should come to us, our training is whining down in 13 days’ time, they should make it haste if not, we will not vacate, I repeat, we will not vacate any training centre,” he said.