Joseph Ambakederimo, Convener of the South-South Reawakening Group and Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Community Development Committees in Niger Delta’s Oil and Gas Producing Areas has issued a compelling plea to cease the baseless assaults on Major General Barry Ndiomu (Retd), the dedicated Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Program.
In a statement made available to Oghwoghwa Reporters, Ambakederimo expressed optimism about Ndiomu’s capability to enhance and broaden the fortune and frontiers set for the transformation of former agitators with a purposeful impact on society. He urged all regional stakeholders to rally behind Ndiomu to ensure his success in this pivotal role.
Ambakederimo said: “We have observed with dismay the consistent and well-coordinated harassment of General Barry Tariye Ndiomu (Retd), the Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Program. We call upon those who have made it their pastime to stop this unwarranted mob attack and allow the Coordinator to focus on its mandate: turning around the Amnesty Program from the brink of collapse inherited from past leadership due to large-scale mismanagement of resources.
“This unwarranted attack is noxious, objectionable, disgusting, and despicable. It is unbecoming of individuals bent on lining their pockets to the detriment of the targeted segment of our society. The spurious allegations of meddling in partisan activities and mismanagement of resources are baseless and aimed at smearing and characterizing the leadership as incompetent and corrupt—only in the imagination of naysayers.
“We urge the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, and President Bola Tinubu—whom countless petitions have reached—to dismiss these unfounded petitions that clearly aim to malign an innocent man. Political interference has plagued the leadership of the Presidential Amnesty Program, hindering accountability for past gross mismanagement of resources.
“The revolving door of leadership must stop, allowing the present coordinator, General Barry Ndiomu Retired, to concentrate on his work. The Coordinator has brought fresh ideas, new thinking, and restructured programs to galvanize the original plan of the program, achieving its core mandate of reintegrating erstwhile militants to redefine themselves with a purposeful impact on society. However, this shift to the program’s original plan seems unpopular with a section of our people who prefer the old ways.
“We urge everyone, within and beyond, to create a peaceful atmosphere devoid of intimidation, enabling the Coordinator to reposition the program for effective service delivery, benefiting the region and Nigeria.
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“Undoubtedly, there have been successes under General Barry Ndiomu’s leadership. The formation of cooperatives and funding mechanisms for robust post-amnesty life management, timely scholarship payments, continuous participant training in core areas of need, and numerous achievements in a short period affirm the retired General’s capability. Therefore, we encourage support for the Coordinator to leverage his wealth of experience for our people’s benefit”. Ambakederimo added.