- C’ttee’s Report Indicts Kuku, Boroh…Reveals Massive Fraud In Programme In Nine Years, Corrupted Database Of Beneficiaries
- Fingers Dokubo In Alleged N66bn Contract Scam
- Calls For Review Of PAP As Concerns Mount In N’Delta
By Gbenga Abulude (Politics & General Desk)
The interim report of the drawdown committee set up by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Maj. Gen Babagana Munguno (Rtd) to investigate allegation of corruption in the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), has revealed massive looting and misappropriation of funds up to the tune of N712 billion by successive Coordinators of the programme since 2011.
The findings of the report which date back to nine years following the amnesty deal for restive youths in the Niger Delta brokered in 2009 during late President Musa Yar’Adua’s administration, revealed contract fraud, compromised database with the illegal swapping of names of beneficiaries resulting in an over-bloated number of beneficiaries of the programme over time among other forms of fraudulent practices.
This and other infractions, it was gathered may have informed the presidency’s consideration of putting an end to the programme as The New Diplomat recently reported.
The New Diplomat understands that Mr. Kingsley Kuku, General Paul Boroh and Professor Charles Quaker Dokubo were the Coordinators of the PAP and Special Advisers to the President on Niger Delta Affairs between 2011-2015; 2015 -2018 and 2018 to 2020 respectively. They have been allegedly fingered in the misappropriation of the funds, totaling N712 billion during the period under review.
Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari had sacked Dokubo as the Coordinator of the programme on August 27.
His sacking came six months after he was suspended in line with the recommendation of a caretaker committee set up to look into allegations and petitions against him.
The report revealed that in 2018 alone, Dokubo awarded a total of 774 contracts amounting to N66,687,570,000. The figure was more than the amount budgeted for the programme that year. “Additionally, most of the contracts awarded add no value to the program, but served as avenues to siphon funds,” the report stated.
The confidential report of the Committee obtained by The New Diplomat unveiled various sordid details of how the funds were allegedly misappropriated by successive PAP Coordinators.
According to the Committee’s report, the N712 billion allegedly squandered equals the total intervention funds the federal government has released for the programme in the last nine years.
Since 2012 after the completion of the disarmament and demobilization phases, the program is currently in the last phase which is the re-integration phase where ex-militants are expected to be trained to gain sustainable employment and earn an income.
The program is indebted to the tune of more than N73 billion.
The report revealed that 635 companies are presently being owed a total amount of N71, 411, 646, 230, 68 contract claims, even though the report claimed contracts were issued without compliance to procurement provisions leaving the program highly indebted.
A total number of 29,755 ex-militants still exist in the database, getting monthly stipends of N65,000 as means of livelihood.
“Five vocation training centres for the training of ex-militants, were built over the years for an estimated cost of N23 billion.
“The training centres were located at Kaiama in Bayelsa State, Agadagba in Ondo State, Bomali in Delta State, Gelegele in Edo State and Obuama Harris Town in Rivers State.”
“Despite huge amount invested in these facilities, it was never used for the required purpose. The places had been abandoned,” the report added. “The infrastructure at the centre in Gelegele, Edo State, was found at foundation level despite billions invested into the project.
“The database containing names of ex-militants being funded has 33,762 names.”
The committee discovered that the entire database is corrupted with names of beneficiaries being illegally removed and others names included.
Prof Dokubo was indicted for colluding with the data unit of PAP to include names of individual in the database that are not ex-militants for the purpose of benefiting from sponsored training programs.
Dokubo was also implicated in the looting of N6 billion worth of goods at the Bayelsa vocational training centre in Kaiama.
53 companies were said to have supplied equipment worth N93 million to PAP warehouse at Kaiama but in broad-day light, properties were looted by unknown robbers. The thieves were not apprehended.
Though the committee is yet to conduct physical verification of ongoing projects and programs of PAP across the country due to Covid-19 pandemic, the report says “there are records of successive monumental corruption that resulted in Amnesty Program being able to realize the objectives of the federal government.
“Ex-militants are unwilling to accept legal employment outside of the Program because of the present structure of PAP.
“It also encourages other youths in the region to demand inclusion in the program.”
According to the report, new militant groups are likely to emerge with the present structure, because they are driven by the expectation that it would be an effective way of gaining inclusion into the PAP.
The report says there was a need to begin ‘strategic Communication’ in order to prepare the minds of beneficiaries towards ending PAP as soon as possible.
Part of the recommendation includes the termination of all PAP Programs that is of no value to the development of the socio-economic development of the Niger Delta.
Apart from the backing President Buhari’s decision to sack the former coordinator of PAP, Dokubo in order to fully investigate the Amnesty Programme since 2010, the report also asked the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) to commence investigations and recovered funds from defaulting contractors as soon as the verification exercise is concluded.
The Amnesty Program, has been hailed as a lofty project to rehabilitate and train ex-militants in the Niger Delta to make them useful and productive to the society, but the looting of funds invested into the program has badly put clogs into the wheels of the great initiative.
The poor management of the programme has also been a source of concern as a resumption of hostility in the region could truncate the current fragile peace in the Niger Delta. Hence, further affecting Nigeria’s oil earnings, already hit by the slump in global oil prices and the Coronavirus-induced crisis.
