Presidential Amnesty Programme: Protesters Barricades Road, Urge Dokubo To Pay Ezonebi

... Call on President Buhari, DSS, NSA to wade into Crisis

By Kenneth Orusi, The Nigerian Voice, Asaba

The delegates of the Ezonebi training centre have protested over the non-payment of their Coordinator, Enetimi Evah Ezonebi.

The delegates on Wednesday blocked the southwest road in the early hours of Thursday, demanding the Presidential Amnesty Office to make payments to their Coordinator for jobs completed.

They also appealed to the President Muhammadu Buhari, National Security Adviser (NSA) and the DSS to call Professor Charles Dokubo to make payments to their Coordinator for jobs completed in June 10, 2019.

The delegates all came out to protest today to show their disapproval of the non-payment of their coordinator for the training programme they all attended at Lagos for a duration of six months, they further mentioned that their coordinator, Enetimi Evah was a blessing and the centre changed their lives for the better. The coordinator ensured they were equipped with the right skills and all they needed to transform their mentality.

At the graduation ceremony held in Lagos in June 2019, they were awarded cash gift and they are yet to receive the gift as a result of the non-payment. They are also unable to receive their TIN number, which is outstanding. They are protesting in order to collect what is due to them.

They further mentioned that, if payment are not made quickly, they will go back to the creek and create unrest in the Niger Delta. They want the DSS to assist in making the payment process effective to avoid them going back to the creek. They also vowed that if they go back to the creek, Professor Charles Dokubo should be arrested as he is to be blamed for this, not them.

One of the delegates Melakpo marvelous (leather work) said “The Amnesty Office used our madam and gave her technical knockout, because Professor Charles Dokubo came for flag up at Ezonebi training centre , he also attended our mid training beach activity at Landmark and is aware of the progress we have made, which makes the way she is being treated bad.

They used Ezonebi training centre and projected accomplishments to Nigeria in an elaborate graduation ceremony held at the Eko hotel Lagos in June, 2019.

To us, we see this act as a technical knockout, as she has tried to get her outstanding payment from the office since June, but is yet to receive it and in addition she has been restricted from getting into the office to process her payment. This is merely an act of wickedness from the office to a dedicated contractor.”

Another delegate, Madam Hilter, who was the best delegate in fashion works said “ When she called our coordinator (Enetimi Evah) to redeem her cash gift, she was in tears and asked that I exercised patience as the office had not made payment to her.”

According to some of the delegates who were trained in Information Technology, they are yet to be empowered, they are very angry about it. They have protested earlier at Silverbird television station Lagos as regards the instant empowerment allegedly promised by Dokubo.

They further mentioned that the training centre was more of a rehabilitation facility for them, they were so lucky to have been posted there, as no other training centre was so interested in their growth and overall success. The coordinator was even awarded an excellence award by the Presidential Amnesty Office at their graduation in June,2019. She is a mother to all.

“We are requesting the amnesty office to make payments to her within the next two weeks, or we would be forced to go back to the creek to create unrest in the Niger Delta.

This woman has trained more than 300 delegates in the Niger Delta, to mobilize ourselves and fund any protest is nothing to us because her JOY is our JOY, WE WILL NOT ALLOW HER TO CRY again, if she sheds tears again in respect to the payments, we will fight to the end.

We urge President Muhammadu Buhari and his administration to take necessary actions in ensuring contractors (Coordinators) are paid as they impact positively to our lives and the Niger Delta.