Babagana Monguno
An ex-militant leader, Eshanekpe Israel, a.k.a Akpodoro has lamented the non payment of the monthly stipends of ex-militants allegedly on the order of the National Security Adviser, NSA to the President, Babagana Monguno.
According to the former warrior who spoke to newsmen in Abuja, Thursday, the NSA in a manner suggesting that he wanted to set the ex-militants on collision course against the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, ordered the office of the Presidential Amnesty Programme not to pay beneficiaries since January this year.
The programme which was meant to rehabilitate and reintegrate ex-militants and persons in the Delta region has being in the news lately over the suspension of its Coordinator and Senior Adviser to the President on Presidential Amnesty Programme, Charles Dokubo and the subsequent appointment of persons from the office of the NSA to probe the activities of the agency and also manage its affairs until further notice.
“Why did Monguno unilaterally stop payment of our stipend since January this year if not for the purpose of looting that office and cause the federal government to whined down the programme?” Akpodoro who is the national President of the National Coalition of Niger Delta Ex-Agitators, NCNDEA queried, noting that the government in Nigeria is watching while the NSA was stoking fire in the Delta region saying the world is a witness to the psychological war being waged against the region by those who were saddled with responsibility of peace building saying, reactions to Monguno’s greed and sinister motives against the people of the Delta region may cripple the country’s economy.
Pointedly, Akpodoro who doubles as the national Coordinator of Urhobo Youth Forum for Change, UYFC says the current administration was trying to undo the legacy of late President Umar Yar’Adua, saying the issues that brought about the establishment of the programme in 2009 were still there in the region yet, “Monguno is playing games with the good of our people and, this we shall resist with the last drop of our blood.”
The people of the region he stated, still suffer abject poverty, unemployment, marginalisation, environmental degradation and other factors that precipitated the arm struggle in the region by today’s ex-militants were worse that it was before now, yet, “the FG is taking our patriotism for granted.”
He called on the President to as a matter of urgency order the payment of the arrears of the stipend owed ex-militants to forestall crisis of great magnitude in the region.
“The South African economy recently went into recession and we dont wish to plunge our nation into same economic situation but it may become imperative if Monguno is allowed to goad us into going back to the creeks. The President should order payment immediately and also appoint a substantive Coordinator to effectively manage the programmes,” he stated.
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