From TONY JOHN, Port Harcourt

The Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) under the leadership of Col. Milland Dixon Dikio (retd), has debunked allegations that N187 million has been spent on consultancy services and stationery supply.

PAP has also expressed dismay to some mischief makers following their claims on Senate inquiries into some transactions that occurred in the amnesty office before Col. Dikio (retd), was appointed the Interim Administrator of the scheme.

It insisted that reports suggesting that the transactions were done within Dikio’s tenure were the latest work of mischief makers, desperately seeking to discredit the interim administrator.

The amnesty said it was inconceivable for the reports to give the impression that the Senate summoned Dikio for allegedly paying N187 million for supply of stationery and consultancy fee for end of year meeting and vocational training.

Special Adviser to Dikio on Media, Mr. Neotabase Egbe, said in a statement that the incident occured in 2017, and the circular for the query clearly captured the date and other details.

He said if the writers were not acting the scripts of their paymasters, they would have launched an investigation for factual reporting.

Egbe stressed that the notice of the query which had 2017 payment voucher, would have ordinarily made them avoid the gross misrepresentation of the issue.

He said the amnesty office at no time received series of invitations from the Senate as claimed by the reports.

According to him, Dikio has high regard for institutions of government saddled with the responsibility of carrying out its statutory function.

Egbe said: “The report widely circulated in some national dailes does not represent the true situation of things. The said incident for the supply of stationery and consultancy services for end of year, happened way back in 2017.

“It was, therefore, surprising that for obvious monetary gains, mischief and deliberate action to discredit the Interim Administrator, the authors of the story couldn’t verify from the office.

“Even the nomenclature of the office from the circular shows that the occupant of the office was still referred to as Special Adviser, whereas since the coming of Dikio, it has been rightly changed as Administrator.”

Egbe called on urged to always cross check with the amnesty office to avoid such embarrassing reports, maintaining that Dikio’s mantra of probity and accountability remained changed.

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