By Linus Aleke, Abuja
The Presidential Amnesty Office is in the news again, this time for the wrong reasons, as the interventionist agency of government is alleged to be involved in over N1.9 billion deducted from trainees and beneficiaries of the Amnesty Programme.
Sources revealed that the alleged fraud involves the office of the Head of Reintegration of the office.
The N1.9 billion was alleged to have been deducted from contracts that were executed under the Train, Employ and Mentor Programme initiated by a former Interim Administrator, Colonel Milland Dixon Dikio.
Under the Train, Employ and Mentor Programme, the beneficiaries of the programme were to be trained, employed and mentored to prevent them from straying after the programme.
Findings, however, revealed that when General Ndiomu (Retd.) took over, there were 1,200 delegates in training which he stopped. He was said to have conducted graduation for all of them as he was under instruction to bring the program to an end.
It was gathered that the contracts were renegotiated and the Reintegration Department removed the ‘Employ and Mentor’ component with the promise that the beneficiaries would be outrightly empowered.
It was also, gathered that the Integration Office deducted funds from the contracts and kept N1.9 billion meant to empower the delegates.
After waiting endlessly for outright empowerment, the beneficiaries and office staff are complaining that the N1.9 billion component deducted from the contracts has been diverted by the office.
Further findings revealed that the contractors include Bradama International Skill Works Limited (400 delegates), Sunup Logistics Limited (200) delegates, Krisdera Agro Allied FArms, (200 delegates), Teecentenel Nigeria Limited (110), Betrieb Limited (50,) and Vika Farms Limited.
Some delegates under Krisdera Agro Allied Farms and Teecentennel Nigeria Limited that were interviewed are pointing an accusing finger in the direction of the Head of Reintegration.
After renegotiating with the contractors, they deducted a substantial amount from the contract sum, they went to the various training Centres to offer each delegate 750k to completely delist them from the Amnesty Programme.
The delegates collectively rejected the said amount. The office promised to get back to them all to no avail. The amount deducted from the negotiations with the contractors is N1.9Bn
They claim he was responsible for the mastery around delay or disappearance of their Two Months In-Training Allowance which had earlier been paid by the Office to the contractor for onward disbursement to the delegates.
It was also discovered that Mr. Wilfred Musa who is the HoR instructed the contractors to withhold the money since the delegates did not complete the eight months they were initially required to spend.
That money has not been returned to the government coffers.
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The concerned delegates who fear they might not receive the money are calling on the office of the NSA which supervises the PAP to look into the books of the agencies.
When contacted for clarification over the veracity or otherwise of the allegation, the Spokesperson of the Presidential Amnesty Office, Mr Freston Akpo, said that the allegation is frivolous.
The spokesperson in a telephone chat with ThisNigeria, said the allegation is part of the smear campaign in the media to discredit the Interim administrator and his team.
According to him, “These allegations had been there. After today, you will still see another one, last week, there was one, to which we responded. They keep coming, so, I will simply tell you that the allegation is frivolous. It is part of a smear campaign in the media to discredit the interim administrator and his team”.
He concluded that the allegation is lacking in facts and substance.
