MON, 28 DEC, 2020-theGBJournal- The heartbreaking delayed payment of contractors at the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) office has once again come to the fore as this has continued to have a debilitating toll on their health report says.
A statement made available to journalists by concerned Presidential Amnesty Programme Beneficiary included call for assistance in resolving the anomalies at the Amnesty office which has made it difficult for contractors to get paid.
“The decay in the Amnesty office is becoming worse every day. As vendors we will keep our identities discreet to avoid victimization. We need your help in revealing these anomalies in the amnesty office, as it is really affecting us as businessmen and women. We have records of some of us who have died or currently hospitalized from the pressure of being owed indefinitely by the presidential amnesty office,” Victor Okame an amnesty beneficiary said.
“Our investigations revealed that the delay in payment of contractors is due to sharp illegal practices happening in the office. The public is aware that a committee was saddled with the responsibility of investigating and verifying awarded, Ongoing and Completed Contracts in the Amnesty Office. This committee carried out their duties and came up with recommendations, including lists of verified contracts that should be paid.
“Currently all the recommendations of the committee setup by Mr. President are being ignored. The Interim Administrator, Col. Dikio Milland in collaboration with the Directors of Finance and Procurement are currently processing payments of files and contractors that were not cleared by the committee setup by Mr. President, Through the Office of the National Security Adviser. Currently the Interim Administrator and the Director of Finance have allays who have been approaching vulnerable contractors, collecting fees ranging from 10 to 20% of their contract values, to be assured of payments. We have evidence of these transactions and would release them if we are pushed to the wall.
“To give a hint on our facts, one Comrade Wilson Ikoli, who claims to be the Chief of Staff to the IA and another Miss Ebiye, an aide to the Director of Finance are the people officials use to strike their deals. This is not only illegal and unjust, but also wicked to the many vendors who have executed their jobs either through loans or personal funds. We call on the NSA to setup an independent body to carry out these payments as the current process has been compromised and is clouded with secrecy and fraud.
He alleged that some of the beneficiaries have been owed since 2018.
‘’The bank interests have exceeded his profit, and even after being paid from the Amnesty Office he will still owe the bank. This is just one of the issues we are facing,” he said.
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