Tunji Wusu –
According to Major General Barry Ndiomu (ret.), interim administrator of the PAP, 75 pilots and aircraft engineers would be sponsored by the Presidential Amnesty Programme to travel to South Africa and France for type-rating as part of its aviation training program.
He added that cleanup operations on the PAP database had shown that some recipients and former agitators had multiple accounts connected to their BVNs.
The payment list was checked again, and it turned out that several beneficiaries had multiple accounts connected to their BVNs. 513 recipients had 1370 accounts total linked to their BVNs on the payment list. Other irregularities included a group of 2601 accounts where their BVNs were not linked to their accounts.
“In order to correct these inconsistencies, PAP set up a portal (_stver.osapnd.gov.ng) where the affected beneficiaries could log in. Those who had numerous accounts linked to their BVNs were instructed to select only one account in order to have their payments regularized. “Multiple account fraud has currently been eliminated from the payment list, and a total of 1,561 accounts have been cleared and fully paid to date,” he stated.
He claims that 847 delegates in all are now enrolled in training programs at the National Information Technology Development Agency for various ICT-related specialties.
The delegates would receive certifications in technical and computer writing, digital marketing, email marketing, social media marketing, computer appreciation, and search engine optimization.
According to a statement from Freston Akpor, Special Assistant (Media) to the PAP CEO, Ndiomu’s creative ideas would ensure the socioeconomic sustainability of former agitators and young people in the Niger Delta through vocational training centers, opportunities within federal government agencies, and incentives for viable SMEs.
He said that ex-agitators in the oil-rich Niger Delta region have been given wide-open windows of employment chances to prosper.
“Under General Ndiomu, a total of 847 delegates are undergoing training in various ICT specialized fields at the National Information Technology Development Agency with certification in digital marketing, email marketing, social media marketing, computer appreciation, search engine optimisation, as well as technical and computer writing,” Akpor said.
As part of the program’s aviation training scheme, which General Ndiomu is very passionate about, the PAP is also funding the travel of 75 pilots and aircraft engineers to South Africa and France for type-rating. According to a breakdown of the number, 35 delegates are pilots and 40 are charged for aircraft engineers.
“The establishment of the PAP Cooperative Scheme, with an initial seed fund of N1.5 billion and an additional N100 million operational fund to be completely controlled by the ex-agitators, provided a significant boost to that effort. A group of skilled advisors are working with a prominent jurist, Justice Francis Tabai, a retired Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, to guide the cooperative system toward success. This will foster an environment where small enterprises may emerge and serve as the engine of the Niger Delta’s economic growth.
He emphasized that the PAP has cleared money owed to contractors to allow the building of five vocational centers around the region, which are intended to provide skills for the teeming youths in the area once completed.
In order to bring the centers, including one that will be located in Bayelsa, up to speed and ready for takeoff, relevant higher education institutions, training programs, and development partners have conducted spot assessments to reassess existing infrastructure, update software, and service equipment, including those left at Boro Town after it was burglarized. All debts associated with current training programs have also been paid off by the management under General Ndiomu, he insisted.
He continued by saying that, in keeping with the PAP’s objective, the PAP has employed a significant number of recent graduates from the Niger Delta, helping to break the cycle of dependency and laziness.
“Since General Ndiomu’s efforts and managerial skill were put into place in September of last year, the Presidential Amnesty Programme has made significant progress. Sadly, the lies and extortion won’t stop the interim administrator from standing up for the majority of ex-agitators and the Niger Delta’s residents, Akpor added.
