The Federal Government has commenced the process to effectively shut down the Presidential Amnesty Programme by December 31, 2022.
It was learned that the government has already engaged an audit firm with a mandate to embark on a comprehensive audit of the programme from inception till date,
A source who spoke anonymously said the new Interim Administrator of the PAP, Maj Gen Barry Ndiomu, (rtd) had made it clear to the staff during a meeting in September that his mandate is to wind up the programme in six months.
Findings revealed that since the meeting, there is an atmosphere of uncertainty and fear in the two offices of the programme in Abuja.
It was learned that in line with the presidential directive to shut down the PAP, the Amnesty Office has stopped further award of scholarships to students from impacted communities.
It was also learned that the operations of the office have been reduced drastically such that contract awarded for new training programmes have stopped forthwith.
A source said that the Presidency has already issued timelines to the new leadership of the Amnesty office to wind down the programme in adherence to the stipulated period.
A document allegedly in possession of the unit heads of the PAP with the title ‘Winding Down the Presidential Amnesty Programme’ specified the timelines for the various activities necessary for terminating the programme.
The terms of request of the document read, “a. Ensure the cessation of all processes of contract award immediately.