As against the huge speculations going about the Media recently the Presidential AMNESTY Programme headed by Hon. KINGSLEY KUKU wishes to refute claims by some Group of persons that the Amnesty Programs Funded the Election Bid of a particular Candidate in the just concluded ONDO GUBER Elections.
HENCEFORTH, its pertinent to remind NIGERIANS that The key Objective of Presidential AMNESTY Programme is to create conditions for STABILIZATION, CONSOLIDATION & SUSTENANCE of "PEACE" to bring about an even Development in the Niger Delta Not the Procurement of VOTES!
MOA,
Below is an excerpt:
PRESS STATEMENT
AMNESTY OFFICE DIDN’T SPEND FUNDS ON ONDO ELECTION
In recent weeks, the Presidential Amnesty Office has observed a pattern of negative reports in the media sponsored by some shadowy groups and targeted at the Chairman/Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, Hon. Kingsley Kuku.
Some of the reports are not only skewed but also laced with spurious and unsubstantiated allegations against the chairman.
The PAO, in a statement by the Head of Media and Communications, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, unequivocally states that there is no iota of truth in a report credited to one of such faceless groups that it spent N249 million to prosecute the campaigns of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the recent Ondo State governorship election.
“Not a dime of the strictly budgeted funds of the amnesty programme was spent on the election. We challenge anyone with evidence to show proof of such expenditure.”
In another specious report, some persons claiming to be former agitators in the “third phase of the Western Delta Wing of the amnesty programme” said the Amnesty Office in Ondo State promised them N100 million for working for the PDP candidate in the same election.
This claim is even more laughable as we do not have any office in Ondo State just as the amnesty programme does not have a “third phase” as they claimed. The President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, only recently approved the inclusion of an additional 3,642 former agitators in the programme and those involved are yet to report to the demobilization and orientation camp.
Besides, the chairman has said he does not know anyone named Apelle Oweikimi, who claimed to be the PRO of the alleged “third phase ex-militants” from his Arogbo-Ijaw community in Ondo State, and that he never negotiated with anybody in respect of the just concluded election.
Not satisfied with spreading falsehood about the presidential aide and the amnesty programme, the sponsors have now infiltrated a Niger Delta state chapter of a well-known but notorious non-government organization in Nigeria in an attempt to blackmail and smear Kuku’s image. Claiming that indigenes of the state were shortchanged in the amnesty programme, the NGO has threatened to embark on a series of protests if the chairman is not removed.
The PAO is not surprised about this as it had in September alerted the nation to a plot to cause mayhem in the Niger Delta by politicians and disgruntled individuals who never wanted the amnesty programme to succeed and have become jittery over the rising profile of the chairman.
It is clearly obvious that the intention of the sponsors is not only to distract Kuku but to also pull him down in order to derail this very laudable but delicate Federal Government programme that has been widely acclaimed as being properly managed.
Severally, the PAO had advised against undue politicization of the programme because of its sensitive nature. Unfortunately, those bent on scoring cheap political points ahead of the recent governorship election in Ondo State (where Hon. Kuku hails from) felt that by targeting Kuku they will achieve their objective. On this score, his traducers have again failed as the chairman remains undaunted.
Despite the challenges, the amnesty programme is fully on course and no amount of blackmail, subterfuge and campaigns of calumny will alter its commitment to the Transformation Agenda of the President Goodluck Jonathan administration, of which it is a key part.
DANIEL ALABRAH
HEAD, MEDIA AND COMMUNICATIONS
PRESIDENTIAL AMNESTY OFFICE
ABUJA
October 29, 2012
Sent from my iPad
-@MOAgbajoh
No comments:
Post a Comment