Special Adviser (Media) to the Presidential Amnesty Programme Interim Administrator, Mr. Freston Akpor has explained how the PAP has been able to tackle Bank Verification Number (BVN) fraud of 513 ex-agitators linked to 1,370 accounts.
In a statement in Abuja, Akpor stated that other anomalies were detected and that certain accounts were not linked to their BVNs which accounted for 2,601 accounts.
In a bid to rectify the issue, Akpor disclosed that the PAP initiated a portal for the beneficiaries to log in with one account linked to their BVN. He said a total of 1,561 have been cleared and paid in full adding that multiple account fraud have been eradicated.
According to him, “Further verification of the payment list revealed that certain beneficiaries had multiple accounts linked to their BVNs. In total 513 beneficiaries had 1,370 accounts on the payment list linked to their BVNs. Other anomalies were that of certain accounts not linked to their BVNs, this group had a total of 2,601 accounts.
“To rectify those irregularities, a portal was created, (_stver.osapnd.gov.ng) by PAP for the affected beneficiaries to log in and those with multiple accounts linked to their BVNs were to choose just one account in order to have their payments regularised. A total of 1,561 have been cleared and paid in full to date and presently, multiple account fraud has been eradicated from the payment list”.
He further stated that the PAP has created sustained opportunities for ex-agitators under the leadership of Major General Barry Ndiomu (rtd.), with initiatives like the N1.5 billion cooperative scheme and training of delegates.
Akpor said the innovative ideas initiated by Ndiomu will guarantee the socio-economic sustainability of ex-agitators and young people in the Niger Delta.
He said: “Enormous windows of employment opportunities have been provided for ex-agitators in the oil-rich Niger Delta region to thrive. Under General Ndiomu, a total of 847 delegates are undergoing training in the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) in various ICT specialized fields with certification in digital marketing, e-mail marketing, social media marketing, computer appreciation, search engine optimization as well as technical and computer writing.
“Similarly, the PAP is sponsoring 75 pilots and aircraft engineers to South Africa and France for type-rating as part of the Programme’s aviation training scheme which General Ndiomu is very passionate about. A breakdown of the figure indicates that 35 delegates are pilots while 40 are billed for aircraft engineering.
“A major boost to that initiative was the launching of the PAP Cooperative Scheme with an initial sum of N1.5 billion as seed money in the account with an additional N100 million operational fund to be solely managed by the ex-agitators. The cooperative scheme has an eminent jurist, Justice Francis Tabai, a retired Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria as chair of the board with a team of experienced consultants to assist in nurturing the cooperative into fruition. This will create a conducive environment for small businesses to grow to become the catalyst for economic development in the Niger Delta”.
