As the count-down to 2023 continues and as the political realignment and horse trading begin, I have been monitoring the activities in the political sphere with keen interest. My focus really has been on identifying credible individuals that could make a difference in our troubled and fouled socio-political environment.
And as a bona fide patriotic Nigerian, I am not limiting my search to one geopolitical zone. Today, my search light in on the Niger Delta region and Col. Milland Dixon Dikio (Retd), the Administrator of Presidential Amnesty Office, is on the radar. And as the saying goes that gold fish has no hiding place, the courageous, amiable administrator has no hiding place. I became curious about the Niger Delta icon when I read some glowing tributes in his honour and heard some of my Niger Delta colleagues discuss his qualities and accomplishments. But, in order not to commit the fallacy of hasty conclusion, I did my independent enquiries about the icon and discovered that Col. Dikio is indeed great.
No doubt, the Niger Delta region from pre-colonial, colonial and post colonial era has produced notable figures that have distinguished themselves in the service of the region and humanity at large contrary to misleading insinuations in some quarters that Niger Delta leaders are phony. From the time of King Jaja of Opobo, Nana of Itsekiri to Isaac Boro, Melford Okilo, Alamayesia, among others, the history books are replete with names and achievements of Niger Delta heroes whose struggles and sacrifices were targeted at uplifting the quality of lives of the people whose land is endowed with oil wealth. And Col. Milland Dikio is unarguably one of the Niger Delta icons of this era that has displayed unwavering commitment to the development of the region while also showing uncommon patriotic zest and loyalty to the Nigeria state.
As one commentator aptly observed, one major reason responsible for the failure of most public office holders in Nigeria is inadequate knowledge of their job specification and mandate but not so with Col. Dikio who left no one in doubt as to what his mission in Niger Delta is. And as soon as he was announced the Administrator of the Office of the President on Amnesty Programme, he hit the ground running introducing reforms that are targeted and improving the work of the Presidential Amnesty Office and the Niger Delta in general.
He is a bridge-builder and outstanding conflict manager who discovered his vocation quite early in his life. He served the army and the nation meritoriously and having garnered enough experience and expertise in conflict management and peace keeping operations he pulled out of the army and worked independently as a consultant in conflict management and counter terrorism. Thus, he was one of the very few Nigerian retired army officer untainted by military and partisan politics. While in the army, he underwent many training programs, held different command positions and served in the various peace-keeping missions in Sierra Leon, Liberia, Cameroun and Angola. He has experience in Disarmament Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) programmes having worked as an international consultant in that area before now.
He is always thinking ahead carrying all stakeholders along. Among other things, he has set up a committee consisting of ex- agitators to ensure effective dissemination of information about the scheme to attract expected development to the region. He knows that the primary purpose of the Presidential Amnesty Programme is the rehabilitation of ex-agitators, peace and development of the Niger Delta Region therefore he would not pander to the interest of the contractors at the expense of the ex-agitators. Before now about 85% of the funds go to servicing contractors. The era of servicing contractors and their cronies is over. Henceforth, prudence resource management, prioritization of projects and due diligence is the keyword; all contract awards would be based on competence and relevance. The purpose is to avoid wastages by prioritizing programs. Scholarships and trainings would be limited to those relevant to the needs of the region. The Presidential Amnesty Office under his watch will no longer fund the scholarship of students in areas that are not comparatively advantageous to the region.
The new philosophy that he has adopted is the Igbo apprenticeship model: “train, mentor and employ”. This is targeted at making the ex-agitators productively engaged by making those trained, employable and those empowered to develop entrepreneurial skills to be able to run profitable businesses and employ others too. He decried the mentality of the ex-agitators depending on the sixty five thousand Naira monthly stipends. He believed after eleven years of the scheme the PAP should move out from the phase of DDR to a new phase of Niger Delta Stabilization Programme (NDSP).
He is really in touch with the critical stakeholders in Niger Delta Region. He wants the negative perception of the region changed to create an enabling environment for business and investment activities to thrive without which peace and development of the region would be a mirage. And for the reforms that he has embarked on, he has attracted encomium from the critical stakeholders in the region. Indeed, he commands respect from among the broad spectrum of Niger Delta leaders and youth alike because of his pragmatic approach to his duty. He is now known and addressed in different laudable appellations. Some call him “Mr. Niger Delta”, “the conflict Manager per excellence” while some regard him as the “new Prince of Niger Delta”.
To him, I would advise that he continue the way he is going and to avoid being corrupted by political jobbers and godfathers. I believe that to accelerate the rate of development of the volatile Niger Delta Region, greater responsibility should be given to individuals with dedication and right commitment like Col. Dikio. He has proved himself to be an astute administrator, a technocrat and a conflict manager that Nigeria and Niger Delta needs.
Hajia Mohammed, an actress, social activist, politician, writes from London, UK via [email protected]
