The Strategic Communication Committee (SCC) of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) says external and internal auditors recently uncovered a massive payroll fraud in the programme.
The SCC Chairman, an ex-agitator, Nature Kieghe, at a news conference in Yenagoa said the discovery showed an individual was receiving stipends of 33 persons through fraudulent means.
He said about 513 persons were linked to multiple payments.
He however assured that the new management of PAP was poised to reposition the scheme for optimum performance.
Kieghe said following the development, the Interim Administrator, Maj.-Gen. Barry Ndiomu (retd), immediately initiated verification of all beneficiaries of the programme as part of the ongoing investigation.
He explained that the audit and efforts of Ndiomu to clean the payroll was the reason some beneficiaries of the programme are yet to receive their monthly stipends.
He added that all affected and genuine outstanding stipends would be paid after verifications.
Describing Ndiomu’s efforts as proactive, Keighe said upon assumption of office, the amnesty boss renegotiated all existing contracts with vendors and in the process saved N1.5bn for PAP.
Keghie said Ndiomu had concluded plans to set up cooperatives to be managed by ex-agitators and supervised by consultants and experts in grant management.
While observing that Ndiomu had shown more commitment, patriotism, transparency in the management of PAP, Keighe said the PAP boss had also indicated interest to revive the vocational training centres for ex-agitators.
He also said it was imperative to inform members of the public that Ndiomu had not delisted anybody but working round the clock to sanitise the PAP register for the good of the ex-agitators and the Niger Delta region.
He called on aggrieved ex-agitators to suspend all their plan actions against the PAP management and support the efforts of Ndiomu to sanitise the programme.