TheCable

Community leaders, under the auspices of Forum of Progressive Niger Delta Leaders (FPNDL), have alleged a plot to blackmail and discredit Babagana Mungono, national security adviser.

They alleged that there had been unsubstantiated reports alleging corruption against Monguno and the caretaker committee constituted by the federal government to manage the amnesty programme in the region after the suspension of the Charles Dokubo, former coordinator of the programme.

President Muhammadu Buhari had suspended Dokubo following the recommendations of a caretaker committee that looked into allegations and petitions against him.

In a statement by Akpakpakiri Amakamu and Kpokoye Morris, president and secretary of the forum respectively, the FPNDL said recent negative reports targeted at the NSA and the amnesty programme caretaker committee have “become worrisome”.

“We are specifically dismayed at a recent report published on an apparently cloned news website in which it was alleged that while in office, Prof. Dokubo awarded and paid unexecuted contracts worth N1.8billion to cronies of the National Security Adviser,” the statement read.

“This was followed barely a week later, with another post that one Hassan purported to be a private secretary to Prof. Dokubo collected over N1.8billion contract on behalf of the NSA which was not executed but paid for.

“While we are not spokespersons to the NSA or the Amnesty Programme caretaker committee, we, however, deem it expedient for us as stakeholders and community leaders to rise up against activities that are detrimental to the development and eerie peace in the Niger Delta.

“Unfortunately, our findings indicated that the allegation is barefaced falsehood maliciously concocted and sponsored by ambitious and unpatriotic individuals with an eye on the office of coordinator, Amnesty Programme, and their collaborators. Obviously, the objective for this dangerous effort is to malign the NSA and discredit the caretaker committee, with the hope that it would be disbanded by the presidency and a new coordinator appointed for the Amnesty Programme.

“This is not minding the fact that the committee is doing a good job; scrutinizing the books and processes of the with a view to setting the Programme on a solid foundation”.

“The FPNDL noted that peddling unfounded allegations against high-ranking government officials and respected individuals was criminal, counter-productive and portrays the Niger Delta people in bad light.

It urged progressive-minded persons and groups in the region to rise up in condemnation of those working against the common interest of the region for selfish reasons.

“We shall expose them henceforth is they continue on this ignoble path. The recent allegation is a dangerous and wicked lie calculated at splashing mud on the NSA.”