By David Owei, Bayelsa

The National Leadership of the Third Phase beneficiaries of the Presidential Amnesty Program (PAP) has over the weekend called on all their members not to heed to any call for protest and blocking of highways.
They equally warned against those sponsored to malign the good intention and performance of the current Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Program and also passed a vote of confidence on him and the workaholic National chairman of the third phase of PAP Ex – Agitators, General Elaye Slaboh.

The decision was reached in an enlarged meeting of the Ex-Agitators that comprises both First and Second beneficiaries of the Program and Ijaw Youth Council ( IYC ) at the instance of the national chairman of the Third Phase beneficiaries of the presidential amnesty program Gen. Elaye Slaboh at Latik Hotel in Yenagoa the state capital.

While addressing Journalists immediately after the meeting, the national chairman of the Third Phase, General Elaye Slaboh said, the days of protest by blocking highways and breaking of pipelines are over, Saying they will rather dialogue with the federal government and the authority of the PAP to press home their demands.

According to him, he convened a national meeting comprises of all camp leaders, beneficiaries and also stakeholders from different parts of the region to discuss pressing issues affecting the system.

Elaye Slaboh said a lot of arguments that are neither here nor there are everywhere that some Ex-Agitators want to embark on negative protest and they are also threatening to burst some pipelines, saying that is why they decided to call for the enlarged national meeting to discuss the way forward without carrying out any form of protest.

“During this our meeting today, we have amicably discussed the issues surrounding our scholarship, the issue of BVN related matters, scholarship, empowerment, the issue of stipends increment for the Ex-Agitators and we have discussed over and over and by the grace of God, we will also relate them to the federal government and the Presidential Amnesty Program office to see how they can possibly help us resolve these issues.

“Am also using this opportunity to thank president Bola Ahmed Tinubu Renewed Hope for sustaining this program to this level and I know he can do better than this, also thanking the National Security Adviser,Nasiru Ribadu for giving us a fair playing ground to operate. He has been there for us and fighting for us ever since, right now he has gone to defend the budget for us and we know there are so many juicy programs in it, we are happy with him.

“We want to appreciate the of PAP Administrator Dr Denis Otuaro for being a good father to us. Since his assumption of office, we have not witnessed any negative protest despite the fact that one Jude Gbaboyor is fighting him from nowhere. We the Ex-Agitators, we are strongly behind Chief Denis Otuaro, we are strongly behind TANTITA Security outfit for securing our region. And thanking Pondei, this people have brought peace to the region and they have empowered a lot of people, so we see no reason why some people will be sponsoring campaigns of calumny against them”.

The national leadership of the Third Phase therefore called on all their members not to allow some few individual to use them for their selfish gains. “Nobody should key into any negative sponsorship. People have handled this program before without achieving anything but now that we have somebody who is from the grassroots and understands the pains of our people, they are fighting him for no just course. We the leadership of Third Phase Ex-Agitators, the beneficiaries of the Presidential Amnesty Program, we are passing vote of confidence on Dr. Denis Otuaro”.

” We know that a few weeks from now, our delayed stipends will be paid”.

Also speaking other beneficiaries from the second phase of PAP unanimously said the a group of the Ex-Agitators has been planning to go on peaceful protest but the national leadership of the Third Phase beneficiaries of the Presidential Amnesty Program deem it feet to call for all an inclusive meeting to see how they can resolve the issues.

According to him, they are no longer interested in handling issues with protests rather it should be discussed and settled in a meeting like this and send the outcome to Dr. Denis Otuaro, Saying with the good works of Dr. Denis Otuaro, “I believe whatever have we resolved and sent to him, he will answer us”.

In his contribution, the National Spokesman of Presidential Amnesty beneficiaries Third Phase, General Theophilus Vikas Ibiama said the meeting was timely because they were under pressure as a result of delay in the payment of their stipends and people are calling that we should go to the street and we say no we can’t go to the street because stipend has not been paid for one month.

“We can’t be misled again, this time around we need to engage the system, dialogue to press home our demands not by street protest any more. So, we have come to brainstorm and to tell our people that nobody should go to the street and protest again.

“And secondly, people are spoiling the name of Tompolo, Tompolo has brought peace to the Niger Delta, people that are fighting him want to sabotage the peace we have been enjoying in the region. Tompolo brought amnesty that today there is no more pipelines vandalization, you can see that Nigeria economy is growing because of Tompolo and the Amnesty office is doing well. Last year 1,700 were given scholarship and we have passed the votes of confidence on General Elaye Slaboh and Dr Denis Otuaro because no others have done it since the inception of the Presidential Amnesty Program”.