Beneficiaries under the Train, Employ, and Mentor Programme (TIEM) initiated by the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) office, has called on the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) to help them recover the sum of N1.9billion allegedly deducted from trainees and beneficiaries of the programme.

The N1.9 billion was alleged to have been deducted from contracts that were executed under the TIEM program initiated by a former Interim Administrator, Col Dikio.

The concerned delegates who fear they might not receive the money called on the office of the NSA which supervises the PAP to look into the books of the agencies.

Findings revealed that the contractors engaged to oversee the programme include Bradama International Skill Works Limited (400 delegates), Sunup Logistics Limited (200) delegates, Krisdera Agro Allied FArms, (200 delegates), Teecentenel Nigeria Limited (110), Betrieb Limited (50,) and Vika Farms Limited.

Under the TIEM, the beneficiaries of the programme were to be trained, employed and mentored to prevent them from straying after the programme.

Investigations revealed that when General Barry Ndiomu (Retd.) took over, there were 1,200 delegates in training which he stopped. He was also said to have conducted graduation for all of them as he was under instruction to bring the program to an end.

It was gathered that the contracts were renegotiated and the Reintegration Department removed the ‘Employ and Mentor’ component with the promise that the beneficiaries will be out rightly be empowered.

It was gathered that the Integration Office deducted funds from the contracts and kept N1.9 billion meant to empower the delegates.

After waiting endlessly for the outright empowerment, the beneficiaries and office staff complained that the N1.9 billion component deducted from the contracts have been diverted by the office.

Some delegates under Krisdera Agro Allied Farms and Teecentennel Nigeria Limited that were interviewed in Abuja were pointing accusing fingers in the direction of the Head of Reintegration.

According to them, after renegotiating with the contractors, deducted a substantial amount from the contract sum, they went to the various training centres to offer each delegate the sum of N750,000 to completely delist them from the Amnesty Programme.

The delegates were said to have collectively rejected the said amount after which the office promised to get back to them all to no avail. The amount deducted from the negotiations with the contractors, according to them was N1.9billion

They claimed an official in the PAP office was responsible for the mastery around the delay or disappearance of their two months In-Training Allowance which had earlier been paid by the office to the contractor for onward disbursement to the delegates.

Investigation revealed that an official in the PAP office instructed the contractors to withhold the money since the delegates did not complete the eight months they were initially required to spend.

There were fears that the money may have been diverted since it has not been returned to the government coffers.

It was further gathered that the Head of the Amnesty Office has directed the security unit to seize the phones of Amnesty staff for investigation because of the purported “leakage of information” and his clash with Chief Timipre Sylva. The investigation commenced two weeks ago

Penultimate week, all the staff of the office were made to tender their phone for scrutiny by the Head of the office.

Some of the delegates who resisted the move and threatened to file a case against the office were redeployed.

The meeting was held in December 2022 and since then, the delegates have been kept waiting.

Some of the delegates who came to protest in Abuja were molested with military personnel with military tanks temporarily hired by the office to stop the delegates at all costs. (The Guardian)

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