Amnesty Programme: FG Begins Direct Payment Of N65,000 To Ex-militants

The Federal Government has commenced direct payment of N65,000 monthly stipend to former militants in the Niger Delta region, with the payment of the three months arrears owed them.
Launching the direct payment exercise in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital yesterday, the chief of staff in the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs and Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Colonel Dedis Abel (Rtd), said the Federal Government will no longer make such payment through leaders of the ex-militants.
Abel said, “The Amnesty Office took the decision to pay the ex-agitators directly following reports of complicity and short-changing of some of them by the leaders. Reports revealed that some of the ex-agitators were paid as low as N20, 000 out of the N65, 000 which does not conform with the mandate of the Presidential Amnesty Programme.
“Henceforth, payment of the monthly stipend would be made directly to each beneficiary with focus to eliminate cases of fraud and short-changing by their leaders. Similarly, this exercise will enable us to collect biometrics of beneficiaries and to create Bank Verification Numbers to enable government to make future payments through their individual bank accounts.”