Following claims made against the new Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Maj. Gen. Barry Tariye Ndiomu (rtd), by a faceless group over the purported sale of items in his office, the national leader of Third Phase Ex-Agitators, Comrade Tonye Bobo, has cautioned youths in the region to stop making unsubstantiated claims.
According to him, the burden of proof of an allegation lies with the accuser.
In a statement issued in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State on Tuesday, Comrade Bobo explained that the new Interim Administrator only met the routine process that has been ongoing long before the new interim administrator assumed office, informing that the planned official sale of certain assets was the initiative of the last PAP administration which has nothing to do with Gen. Ndiomu.
He added that auctioning of assets in government circles was a routine exercise that is usually carried out with the approval of a supervising ministry or agencies.
He said that the whistle-blowing policy in Nigeria only encourages people with valid evidence of financial misconduct or theft to voluntarily disclose such information to the federal ministry of finance and not to go to the media to rant over frivolous claims against respected Ijaw leaders.
While expressing his disappointment with the group, Comrade Bobo, who also is a member of the Presidential Amnesty Strategic Communication Committee said if Ndiomu’s accusers have any evidence of fraud against him they should be bold enough to approach the anti-graft agencies, instead of coming to the cyberspace to insult such a highly revered personality in Ijawland who served the country meritoriously and retired honorably from the Nigerian Army as Maj. General without blemish.
Comrade Bobo described the recent attacks on the person and office of Gen. Ndiomu as uncalled for as his accusers don’t have any evidence to substantiate their claims apart from raining insults on the Interim Administrator who has never been found wanting for any wrongdoing in office.
“It is rather unfortunate that youths in the region could allow themselves to be used by conflict entrepreneurs in cyberspace to denigrate an elder statesman in the class of Gen. Ndiomu without considering the cultural implications of such disrespectful acts against an Ijaw elder statesman.
“The statement by the so-called group is the height of irresponsibility, judging from the impeccable track record of Gen. Ndiomu. I want to use this medium to advise our youths to show respect to elders and not to allow themselves to be used to disrespect Ijaw elders, no matter how much money their sponsors may offer them, knowing that there are serious cultural implications that come with such unholy behavior in Ijawland”, he said.
The third phase national leader stated that if the group wants to act as a whistleblower, they should follow the stipulated guidelines and stop coming to the media to make vexatious, unfounded, and inciting allegations against a highly respected retired General from the Nigerian military and a respected legal practitioner.
He also warned that dropping the name of the National Security Adviser (NSA) in their attempts to blackmail Gen. Ndiomu may eventually attract boomerang effects on them and their sponsors, pointing out that the frequent calls for the suspension of the new Interim Administrator were childish.
“If public officers were to be suspended based on mere unfounded frivolous claims made by some irresponsible groups, the antigraft agencies will not have any work to do.
“The Interim Administrator has not done anything wrong to warrant disrespect from the Niger Delta youths he is fighting for. It is indeed a sad commentary that our youths, operating in the guise of being ex-militants would just wake and start to point accusing fingers at an elder statesman”, he added.
Recall that an auction is a sales event wherein potential buyers place competitive bids on assets or services either in an open or closed format. Auctions are popular because buyers and sellers believe they will get a good deal buying or selling assets.
