Mr Kingsley Kuku, the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, has appealed to leaders of former militants to eschew unguarded comments capable of heating up the nation’s polity.
This is contained in a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja by Mr Daniel Alabrah, the Head of Media and Communications of the office.
Kuku said the appeal became necessary in the light of recent development involving some of the top leaders of the former agitators in the Niger Delta.
“The Amnesty Office views with serious concern, comments credited to some of them as reported in the media in recent weeks.
“My appeal to the leaders of the former agitators is to be circumspect in their comments.
“They need to be cautious about what they say as it could convey a different meaning to different people and unnecessarily heat up the Niger Delta and the country at large.”
The Presidential aide, who said that unguarded comments had the potential to inflame passion, urged the embattle leaders to close ranks and not be seen to be fighting themselves.
He advised them continue to utilise all the available channels of communicating their grievances to the government, particularly through the amnesty office.
Kuku assured them that his office “is always open to them.”
The aide, who is also the Chairman, Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), said approved stipends were paid into agitators’ bank accounts at the end of every month and not through any of their former leaders.
“Let me emphasise that we do not pay the monthly stipend of these former agitators through their former leaders.
“Rather, we do so through the individual bank account details they gave to my office.
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