Nigeria’s Presidential Amnesty Office has said it welcomes the call for probe of its activities.However, a statement by Owei Lakemfa,head of media of the Amnesty Office however said it was improper for those asking for probe to embark on blackmail of the agency’s leadership.Lakemfa said contrary to the practice in the past no one can blackmail the leaders anymore for the purpose of securing contracts.
He said in a statement Saturday,” there is a growing culture of some persons mainly from the South -South of the country plying on blackmail to get by or get contracts; this will not work with the Presidential Amnesty Programme. It is no more business as usual.”
Lakemfa’s statement reads in full: “The attention of the Presidential Amnesty Office has been drawn to a group demanding a probe of its activities.
“As a public institution answerable to the public, the Office is obliged to give account of its activities. So in itself, there is nothing wrong with a probe .
“Also, a probe does not mean guilt; it is merely an inquiry to find out if any infraction has been committed. It is like a man undergoing routine medical checkup which does not necessarily mean he is sick.
“However, the Presidential Amnesty Office objects to the group’s follow up blackmail of the supervising officers, the leadership of the Presidential Amnesty Programme and their families.
“ If in truth this group wants a probe, it ordinarily would wait for the response of the authorities it has petitioned and the outcome of the probe. To proceed to call for so-called protests in and outside the country until the leadership of the Presidential Amnesty Programme is replaced, is to pronounce guilt even before any investigation is carried out or the officials are given any chance to respond to the load of unsubstantiated claims. This is against the laws of natural justice, our national and international laws and ethics which give every human being the fundamental right to defend himself before a competent authority or court of law.
“This exposes the under belly of the probe demand as being far from altruistic; it is an indication that a hatchet job is under way.
“Unfortunately, there is a growing culture of some persons mainly from the South -South of the country plying on blackmail to get by or get contracts; this will not work with the Presidential Amnesty Programme. It is no more business as usual.Also, despite the blackmail, the Office stands by its decision that those on the Amnesty scholarship in tertiary institutions would not be entitled to be paid stipends along with their monthly In-Training-Allowance as this amounts to double payment.
“The Presidential Amnesty Programme is a professional and security interventionist agency designed to bring peace , stability and development to the Niger Delta and has so far succeeded in its primary mandate; it is therefore unpatriotic to seek to politicize it. It is indeed a security programme not a political one and the leadership of the Programme under Brigadier General Paul Boroh (Rtd) the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Coordinator of the Programme has strived and has so far succeeded in shielding it away from partisan politics.
“As we know, the Federal Budget was passed about midyear, which led to long delays in payment of stipends, school fees ,projects and In-training-Allowance, but through pain staking reach out programmes, meetings, explanations and support by all and sundry, the Boroh leadership has been able to maintain continuous peace in the Niger Delta.
“The Presidential Amnesty Programme is fundamentally on course and we appeal to all well meaning Nigerians to continue to give the Programme the needed support to sustain the peace in the Niger Delta Region. Peace is expensive and therefore requires sustainability.”
