… says ‘he has brought peace, stability to Niger Delta’
Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Niger Delta, Hon. Essien Ayi, says persistent appeals by critical stakeholders in the oil-rich region to President Muhammadu Buhari to make Col. Milland Dixon Dikio (rtd) the substantive Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) are aimed at sustaining the current peace in the region.
The Federal lawmaker noted that among the various regions in the country, the Niger Delta had been ranked as the most peaceful because of the deliberate action plan deployed by Dikio in running the Amnesty Programme in the last one year.
Ayi pointed out that aside from maintaining the peace throughout the Niger Delta region, making Dikio the substantive PAP helmsman would help him to actualise his laudable vision for the programme and the region as a whole.
The lawmaker also attributed the peace and stability in the Niger Delta to Dikio’s constant engagement with stakeholders and early payment of stipends to PAP’s beneficiaries.
According to Ayi, “Amongst the six geopolitical zones in the country today, the South-South zone happens to be the most peaceful and most stable of all the zones. The Interim Administrator has been able to fulfil the obligation of the Presidential Amnesty Programme.
“There was a time the beneficiaries had six months backlog of unpaid stipends, but today they are paid up to do date and on time. From my interview with most of these beneficiaries, they seem very satisfied with Dikio’s performance.
“Dikio’s administration has helped to reduce the tension in the region. Before this present administration, the debt of the Presidential Amnesty office was becoming very embarrassing. At a time, it went up to over N70 billion. It is different now; this administration is trying to clear the records.”
The lawmaker, who represents Akpabuyo/Bakassi/Calabar South Constituency, flayed Dikio’s critics, urging the President to ignore them.
He added that what should be paramount in the decision to make Dikio PAP’s substantive head is the reality on ground and not petty speculations borne out of mischief and hate.
The four time member of the House of Representatives, while applauding Dikio for his tenacity and courage to do the right thing, also assured the PAP boss that in spite of the attacks on him by some naysayers, his intervention in the region had not gone unnoticed.
He said, “The Presidental Amnesty office was created as an intervention programme, and not a contract- awarding agency. People used that office for political gain; even highly placed people in the country felt it was their right to receive contract from this same office.
“It was almost becoming a mess but with Col. Dikio coming on board, he has been able to sort out these excesses and bring stability.”