It was a home coming for the Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Col. Milland Dixon Dikio (rtd), yesterday, as he was received at his ancestral hometown of Mbiama in Rivers State amidst pomp and pageantry as he continued his “Back to the Region” tour of the Niger Delta.
On hand to receive Col. Dikio (rtd) was His Royal Majesty, The Okilomibe III of Engenni Kingdom, King Moore Maclean Ubuo and his Council of Traditional Rulers; others are Engenni Eminent Persons Group, Engenni Women Consultative Forum, Ijaw Youth Council Special Chapter and others.
Col. Dikio speaking in an emotion laden voice said, “I am very delighted to be back home. The Amnesty Programme I administer is a straight shot DDR Programme-Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration, so we are a service organization.”
While responding to the requests by the community he said, “I am on the same page with you on the market, the carnal and the shore protection. I intend to leverage my position while working with other sister agencies like the NDDC, Ministry of Niger Delta, Ministry of Petroleum, Ministry of Environment and so on to bring to bear the benefits that you seek and broaden the conversation on the content of the Amnesty Package.”
Speaking further, he remarked that “Mbiama is a commercial center, it has always been so. So, I urge you to begin to have a new thinking-the new thinking is economic empowerment. When you have the economy then you have the power. In practical terms, it means entrepreneurship.”
“That’s the same message I am passing to my core constituency, the ex-agitators of the amnesty programme. The days of blocking roads is over, open up the roads so that economic power will flow, but you must position yourself to receive it. We are an ingenuous people. We need to think positively all the time to change our situation.”
The Mbiama people expressed their gratitude to God for giving their son such exalted office and also thanked President Mohammadu Buhari for appointing their son as the Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme.
They prayed for God’s protection for Col. Milland Dikio (rtd) and also prayed for wisdom for him to transform the Amnesty programme back to the way it was designed to be run.
Lawson Alaenetonwa
Principal Information Officer
For Director Information, PAP
