CONFUSION over alleged irregularities in the distribution of Itsekiri benefits in the Federal Government’s Amnesty programme for Niger Delta continued, yesterday, with the Itsekiri National Youth Council, INYC, led by Mr. Esimaje Awani, calling for stoppage of further payment of Itsekiri
beneficiaries’ monthly stipends through the David Tonwe’s faction of INYC.
Awani, in a statement in Warri, Delta State, said: “We have written to the Presidential Adviser on Amnesty, Mr. Kingsley Kuku, to stop all payments to this group of persons. They do not have the authority to operate in that capacity.
“The name, Itsekiri Native Youth Council being used to collect the Itsekiri amnesty payments is unknown to Itsekiri youths. No one knows what they are doing. We are talking about 500 slots of N65,000 monthly to skills acquiring trainees as well as $700 and $900 to overseas graduates and postgraduates scholarship beneficiaries respectively. It cannot be business as usual.”
Esimaje stressed that Itsekiri youths do not feel the impact of the amnesty programme on their lives, urging the Amnesty Office to stop the Itsekiri payments to the supervising Tonwe group pending the resolution of the said irregularities and allegations of mismanagement against the group before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
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