Ex-agitators protest non-payment of allowances in Rivers

Some beneficiaries of Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) in Rivers State have held a protest at Amnesty office in Port Harcourt to demand their payment.

Coming from different training centres in the state, they expressed worries over non-payment of their entitlements, saying they had 13 days to wind down without any prospect of being paid, especially following change in leadership.

One of the protesters, Princewill Eze, urged the new Interim Administrator, Barry Ndiomu, to pay them, warning that they would not exit the centres if their allowances are paid.

He said: “We are beneficiaries of Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP). And we are beneficiaries, who are undergoing training in different sectors of the state.

“Some of us are in Rivers State and some of us are in other states and what is happening is that our training is about to end in 13 days.”
He said the new interim administrator promised that all our entitlements would be provided before the end of the training.

“He sent people from Abuja to talk to various centres. They brought forms for us to fill, which confirmed we were undergoing an empowerment grant scheme. But in the form, the amount was not specified. They did not tell us anything about our exit.

“While we were about to sign the form, they verbally told us that if we sign, they would remove our names from the database of the ministry. They would exit us from the Amnesty programme, which would contradict the statement the Interim Administrator made to the whole world.

“That is why we are agitating. They will not exit us. If they know our fundamental benefits that are due to us for this programme, they should provide them to us.”

They, however, appealed to those in charge to make provisions for their entitlements before their exit from the training centres.