From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
The Strategic Communication Committee (SCC) of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) has disclosed that external and internal auditors recently uncovered a massive payroll fraud in PAP.
Speaking in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, the SCC led by its chairman and ex-agitator, Nature Dumale Kieghe, said according to the discovery, an individual was receiving stipends of 33 persons through fraudulent means.
Dumale, who disclosed that about 513 persons were linked to multiple payments, insisted that the new management of PAP was poised to reposition the scheme for optimum performance.
He said following the development, the Interim Administrator, Maj.-Gen. Barry Ndiomu (retd), immediately initiated verification of all beneficiaries of the programme as part of ongoing investigation.
He explained that the audit and efforts of Ndiomu to clean the payroll was the reason some beneficiaries of the programme had yet to receive their monthly stipends adding that all affected and genuine outstanding stipends would be paid after verifications.
Describing Ndiomu’s efforts as proactive, Dumale said upon assumption of office, the amnesty boss renegotiated all existing contracts with vendors and in the process saved N1.5 billion for PAP.
Dumale said Ndiomu has concluded plans to set up cooperatives to be managed by former agitators and supervised by consultants and experts in grant management.
“The ex-agitators will be given grants of over N500 million and revolving loans. They are to take responsibility for the success of the cooperatives.
International donor agencies will be involved in providing grants and aids. He has opened channels of discussions with the foreign loans”, he said.
Dumale noted that five months after his appointment, Ndiomu had replaced the train, employ and mentor (TEM) model with the train, empower and exit (TEE) to allow empowered beneficiaries to exit the programme and also concluded arrangements to complete the construction of the four vocational training centres in Bayelsa, Rivers, Delta and Ondo states, which would be equipped with the state-of-the-art equipment.
He called on aggrieved ex-agitators to suspend all their planned actions against the PAP management and support the efforts of Ndiomu to sanitise the programme.