The Interim Administrator, Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Col. Milland Dixon Dikio (rtd), has unveiled his next plan for ex-agitators, saying he will focus on wealth creation, leveraging on partnerships that will have positive effects on the economy of the Niger Delta and the country at large.
He said having laid the foundation in his first one year with his outlined vision, the time for action had come to produce the desired result for the benefit of all.
Dikio, in a statement signed and sent to GbaramatuVoice, by his Special Adviser, Nneotaobase Egbe, after separate meetings with leaders of first and third phases of the PAP in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, said his quest to leave a strong legacy was driven by his passion for the development of the region.
He encouraged the ex-agitators to strive to see beyond the monthly stipends, to the economic opportunities around them.
He said: “Within the short time I have, we will change things for the better. That is why we have changed the model of trainings that you get to the Train-Employ-Mentor model.
The kind of trainings that will make you self-sufficient and qualified to have a job that you will be paid far above the N65,000; trainings that will bring more value to you”.
According to Dikio, the Niger Delta remained the richest place in the country not because of oil and gas but its natural endowment, such as human capital, farm produce and fisheries, domiciled across the region and waiting to be explored by willing hands.
He said: “We have to be competitive in the water business and take advantage of the blue economy. The Niger Delta is blessed with a lot of opportunities and we need to take charge.
“We are organizing a summit in Warri soon. Warri used to be the oil city with lots of activities but now it has become like a ghost town. We want to highlight what the city has, its economic importance and also for entrepreneurial purposes. We have to do everything possible to bring back businesses to the region.”
“I keep saying this that if you are not providing service you can’t be rich. Once you have what you are offering and when you are able to take care of yourself, nobody can insult you”.
In his remarks, leader of the first phase ex-agitators and National President of the Leadership, Peace, and Cultural Development Initiative (LPCDI), Pastor Reuben Wilson, thanked Dikio for restoring their confidence in the PAP.
He said in the past the programme was managed like a personal estate with the beneficiaries grossly shortchanged while others became billionaires but with the coming of Dikio “we now have hope because of the new vision”.
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