10022018 - 2019 : How we'll stop Buhari - Opposition parties

14—SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 10, 2018
The problem with Boroh
– Kingsley Muturu, ex-militant leader
Emma Amaize and
Chancel Sunday Bomadi
C
HAIRMAN,
Phase 2 Ex-
Agitators, Delta State, Mr.
Kingsley Muturu, said the
present rumbling in the Presidential
Amnesty Programme, PAP, was largely
because the Chairman, PAP, and
Special Adviser to the President on
Niger Delta, Brig Gen Paul Boroh
(retd.), had failed to bring about a
forum for him and ex-militant leaders
to thrash out troubling issues.
Muturu in an interview with
Saturday Vanguard, however, said that
those calling for his sack do not have
the interest of the programme at heart.
According to him, the immediate cause
of the current hoopla was the
infiltration of the
programme by strangers
and apparent refusal of the
Amnesty Office to address
the anomaly.
“We, ex-militants have
been in the programme
before
Boroh’s
appointment, and to be
sincere, we, ex-militant
leaders, have a lot of issues
to share with him regarding
the running of the
programme. But,
unfortunately he had never
created the forum to enable
us meet with him unlike his
predecessors, who actually
did.
“Those calling for Boroh’s
removal in the Facebook
and other social media
platforms do not have the
interest of beneficiaries of
the programme at heart. I
believe such groups of
people are not even part of
the programme and they
are doing so with personal
There is
indeed need
for the
federal
government
to find out if
the
programme
is running
accordingly
to avoid
backlash
interests. I advise them to desist from
it,” he said.
Unwholesome developments in the
programme
The peace ambassador said: “A lot of
unwholesome things are going on in
the running of the programme. For
example, trainees from my group were
sent back home from their training
ground without concrete reasons given
by the contractor, who also refused to
explain what really happened. They
were trained for just one month at the
Agricultural College, Iguoriakhi, Edo
state, and were asked by the contractor,
Hon Austin Ehi, to go back home
without any explanation.”
“When the boys called him on phone
to know the position of things, he
answered them by saying
that they should do
whatever they could,
suggesting that their
training process has been
thwarted.
“That is where the
problem lies. Personally, I
have made frantic efforts by
informing the Amnesty
Office over this and other
issues, but there had never
been any headway.
Imagine that there are also
other vexing issues to
discuss with the office, but
Boroh seemed not
disposed to it,” he asserted.
Strangers invade
Presidential Amnesty
Programme
The ex-militant leader
asserted: “We have been
seeing strange faces
among beneficiaries in the
schools and training
centres under the
programme. Go to Novena
University, Felix Ibru
•Kingsley Muturu
University, Benson Idahosa University
and you see non-Niger Deltans as
beneficiaries of the programme. I
tasked Boroh to take these complaints
very seriously as there seems to be
high profile corruption in the
education and training department in
the office. I also believe that politicians
are dictating for Boroh on what and
what to do without considering the
interests of Niger Deltans,” he said.
According to him, “We, ex-militant
leaders discovered that Boroh is being
controlled by those who projected him
into the office, and that is why he is
apparently dancing to their tune rather
than heed the complaints and
anomalies arising in the running of the
programme.”
“We, therefore, call on such
politicians to leave the programme
alone, as we have seen that they are
managing the programme themselves.
We are vehemently against their
activities,” he added.
Muturu stated: “We have seen that
it is Boroh’s inaction and reluctance
that led to the infiltration of strange
faces into the programme as
beneficiaries in the schools and
training centres. This is indeed
baffling, as even our boys call us on
daily basis to inform us of these
strangers under the programme.”
“We are also not pleased with his new
introduction of aptitude tests on
students as recently conducted in Port-
Harcourt, River State, which was alien
to beneficiaries since inception of the
programme.
“We, ex-militant leaders, hereby
charge him to take charge of the
programme or we may read his
inaction on crucial issues as
incapability to handle the programme.
He has already lost touch with leaders
of various groups, whereby information
sharing between the office and leaders
had also been lost,” the ex-militant
leader asserted.
Recommendation
Asked to advice the Special Adviser
on how best to handle the imbroglio,
he said: “I advise Boroh to take the
issues raised in the education and
training of beneficiaries very seriously.
He should look into the department
handling beneficiaries’ training and
education and take the necessary
action to avoid failure of the
programme.”
“I also call on President Buhari to
look into the programme to appraise
its wellness. There is indeed need for
the federal government to find out if
the programme is running accordingly
to avoid backlash.”
The peace ambassador commended
President Muhammadu Buhari for his
commitment to the success of the
amnesty programme, saying: “Yes, I
believe he is committed because the
President pledged to implement the
good aspects of the amnesty
programme in his inaugural speech.
Education and training as well as
engagement of beneficiaries are good
aspects of the programme, I think
Buhari will not deviate from this
commitment.”
Disquieting time for Amnesty Coordinator as ex-militants demand his sack
Continues on pg 13
Boroh, the Special Adviser to the President
on Niger Delta was recommended to
President Muhamadu Buhari by some
politicians. These northern politicians have
hijacked the office of the chairman. Paul
Boroh is just a ceremonial head. He only
endorses memos while they take decisions.
“It might interest the general public to
know that the Educational department is
influenced by those persons in such a manner
that the original beneficiaries from the
region, who submitted arms and were
captured and received monthly stipends, are
being short-changed with Hausa/Fulani
names as benefactors during training
institutions of the program.
“People, who ordinarily cannot afford to
see the walls of the university have been
short changed by some unknown persons
from the northern and eastern parts of the
country, perhaps sold our chances to those
persons we cannot tell. We have made series
of applications, which have been sent to the
office for approval for our boys to go to
school, yet to no avail.
“But when you make a visit to schools like
Novena University, Igbinedion University,
Benson Idahosa University and the likes, you
will see strange faces and names as Niger
Delta beneficiaries of the Amnesty
programme, who are not members of the
program that were captured by the former
administration,” they alleged.
Warning
Their words: “We have evidence to back
our allegation. We are calling on Niger Delta
leaders, who are in the APC administration
to prevail on the Special Adviser to Mr.
President to take a visit to the educational
departments mentioned and correct the
injustices in the department for proper and
effective administration because if no proper
scrutiny is made to correct the anomalies in
the amnesty programme, our boys will be
permanently shortchanged forever without
justice.”
They warned: “If justice is not done, our
boys who have been short changed may have
problem with us, the leaders, for not
protecting them in the amnesty programme,
so we call on President Buhari and Paul
Boroh to look into the matter. We are also
calling on the security agencies to
investigate that department because there
is a serious fraud there.”
“Boroh does not understand how they are
running that office, we will let him know
how things are done .We, the leaders and the
boys understand what is going on, he does
not consult us before doing things, especially
in the area of training. He should always
consult the leaders before any directive is
taken to avoid similar errors in the future,”
the militant leaders cautioned.
Discontented, fraudulent politicians after
Boroh – Opukeme, Freeman
But the leaders of Niger Delta Supreme
Egbesu Freedom Fighters and Niger Delta
Red Scorpion Warriors, “General” Obus
Opukeme and “General” Odudu Freeman,
said those calling for Boroh’s sack were
sponsored by disgruntled politicians to
derail the programme.
They urged the nonexistent groups and
compromised youths “to retrace their steps
or be prepared to face the wrath of militants
as their identities are known to us.”
Throwing their weight behind Boroh for
his “transparent leadership and
repositioning the Amnesty Programme”, the
two groups said: “General Paul Boroh has
made tireless efforts to the sustained peace
process that the country is currently enjoying
in the region, hence should be appreciated
by all genuine stakeholders from the
region.”
They added: “General Boroh had steadily
used his good office to engage various
genuine agitating militant
groups, traditional rulers and
well-meaning stakeholders in
the region to foster peace,
stability, progress and attract
development under the
President Muhammadu
Buhari- led APC government
than the previous miserable
PDP government.”
“General Paul Boroh had
risked his life to visit the entire
length and breadth of the creek
of the Niger Delta to calm
frayed nerves in the wake of the
destruction of oil pipelines and
oil facilities in 2016. He
brought several empowerment
programmes through the
Amnesty Programme by
engaging various militant
groups in agriculture while
transparency and
accountability has been his
watch word, which can be
attested to by the regular
payment of monthly stipends
to ex-agitators and militants
undergoing training,” the
People, who
ordinarily
cannot afford
to see the
walls of the
university
have been
short changed
by some
unknown
persons from
the northern
and eastern
parts of the
country
groups asserted.
According to them, “General Boroh also
contributed immensely to the ceasefire
agreement in 2016 that led to increase in
the crude oil production to 2.2million
barrels, which contributed to the nation’s
economic recovery.”
Further describing those calling for his
sack as “evil and desperate people, who have
lost touch with the reality on ground,” they
urged President Buhari to ignore calls for
the removal of Boroh, saying,
“the calls are coming from
corrupt personalities desperate
and bent on sponsoring
nonexistent militant groups to
forge baseless stories.”
Appeal to Finance minister
on release of stipends
“We use this opportunity to
urge the Minister of Finance,
Kemi Adeosun , not to delay the
release of funds for the payment
of monthly stipends to ex
militants in order to sustain the
existing peace in the creeks of
Niger Delta.
“And if the federal government
and the security agencies refuse
to call this evil plotters and
disgruntled elements
sponsoring various groups that
are calling for the removal of
Paul Boroh to order, then, we
will be left with no option than
to declare another war in the
creek of Niger Delta and
whatever shall be the outcome,
we should not be held
responsible,” they warned.