Groups urge Buhari to confirm Dikio’s appointment
Former militants under the third phase of Presidential Amnesty Prgramme (PAP) and other Niger Delta stakeholders have urged President Muhammadu Buhari to appoint Col. Milland Dixon Dikio (rtd.), as the substantive coordinator of the programme.
Rising from their emergency meeting in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, at the weekend, the ex-militants, who are beneficiaries of the PAP, said Dikio had demonstrated capacity, commitment and courage to reposition the core mandate of the programme.
National Chairman of the third phase and Deputy Spokesperson, Strategic Communication Committee (SCC), Tonye Bobo, rated Dikio high on performance after evaluating his activities at the stakeholders’ meeting.
He said since assumption of office, Dikio reformed the programme for the benefit of the ex-agitators despite resistance from those he described as “corrupt elements and enemies of the Niger Delta region.”
Bobo commended Dikio for prompt payment their monthly stipends and appealed to him to keep doing the right things.
He said since all responsible stakeholders and groups from the region such as the Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide and the Ijaw National Congress (INC), among others, had endorsed Dikio for the substantive coordinator of the programme, and as such President Buhari should not hesitate to confirm him.
Bobo also enjoined those ganging up against Dikio to desist, saying the region could no longer afford to return to business as usual.
BESIDES, the National Association of Presidential Amnesty Students Worldwide (NAPASW) has appealed to President Buhari to secure their future by appointing Dikio as the substantive administrator of the PAP.
New executive members and chapter presidents of the association made the appeal in Abuja, during their visit to thank Dikio for providing leadership for the PAP in the last one year.
National President of the group, Lucky Ukuekwu, said their pursuit for academic excellence under the PAP might be truncated if Dikio was not allowed to continue and urged the President to save them from the ugly experience.
