Absence of substantive head affects ex-militants ‘allowances —Amnesty Office

The Presidential Amnesty Office said on Thursday that the delay in the payment of ex-militants’ allowances was due to the absence of a substantive head to oversee the programme.

Head, Media and Communications, Amnesty Office, Mr Daniel Alabrah, made this known Abuja, yesterday.

Alabrah explained that funds had been released and that all allowances were intact, but that the office was awaiting the required directive for disbursement.

He said that the absence of a substantive chairman of the programme or a special adviser to oversee the programme and give directives was responsible for the delay.

“This is a transition period and it is important for citizens, especially the former agitators, to be patient with the new government, as it needs time to settle down”, he said.

It would be recalled that the ex-militants had earlier appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari over what they termed the poor condition of living of over 500 foreign scholarship beneficiaries under the amnesty programme.

The ex-agitators had in a letter signed by Pastor Reuben Wilson and addressed to the president, appealed that their allowances be paid.

Wilson, in the letter, stated that there was already palpable tension in the Niger-Delta over the unpaid monthly stipends.

According to the letter, the absence of a substantive presidential special adviser and chairman for the Presidential Amnesty Programme had thrown the programme into crisis.

“The people of the Niger Delta will continue to monitor the disposition of the Buhari administration toward the continued implementation of the amnesty programme and this will inform our reaction,” the letter read.

The ex-militants said preliminary complaints received from the beneficiaries of the programme on training abroad showed that they had been living in critical conditions.

According to them, the poor living condition of the amnesty beneficiaries is due to the lack of funding and non-payment of their stipends by the Federal Government.