Ex-militants urge Buhari to pay backlog of stipend

Mr. Israel Akpodoro, President of the National Coalition of Niger Delta Ex-Agitators (NCNDE-A), has called on the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration to as a matter of urgency pay up the backlog of the monthly stipends owed Niger Delta ex-militants.

In a statement made available to journalists he said that most ex-militants’ life depend on the stipend from the office of the Amnesty Programme of the Federal Government, saying that the payment of the arrears to ex-militants at this time will go a long way to assuage the youths of the region and dissuade them from acts of violence especially vandalism.

According to him, the payment would correct the erroneous impression that the Federal Government was withholding the stipends as a punishment to ex-militants because of the activities of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA).According to the Pro-President Buhari ex-militant leader ,those he described as the enemies of the Nigerian state who are notable members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have brainwashed the youth population in the region into believing that the non-payment of ex-militants was a vengeful mission by the Federal Government.

The coalition hailed the appointment of Mr. Ibrahim Idris, by President Buhari, as the new Inspector General of Police and described the new police boss as one of the finest and diligent officers the force has produced in recent memory.

IGP Idris, Akpodoro further stressed , has the capacity to build on the achievements of his predecessor as he called on men and women of the force to support the new IGP to succeed noting that success in a any leadership position is a team work while urging the new police chief to further entrench the zero tolerance for corruption in the force ,adding that moral discipline and professionalism should form the fulcrum of his priorities.