Former militant leaders in the six Niger Delta states have said the December deadline for the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) is not feasible.
Rising from their meeting in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, the former creek commanders urged President Muhammadu Buhari to extend the programme beyond this year.
The former militants, who met under the auspices of the Leadership, Peace and Cultural Development Initiative (LPCDI), hailed the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs and PAP Chairman, Brig.-Gen. Paul Boroh, for performing well.
According to them, the proposed timeline was not feasible because of non-payment of outstanding allowances and unfulfilled promises by the Federal Government. LPCDI’s National President Reuben Wilson (aka General Pastor) said the government should pay outstanding fees of amnesty students in foreign institutions before terminating the programme.
In a statement after the meeting, Wilson said: “The Federal Government should release timely the allocations to the Presidential Amnesty Office in order to pay the beneficiaries their monthly stipends on time. The PAP should be extended beyond December 2015 as earlier envisaged as the expiry date.
“The incentives promised the ‘ex-Generals’ and leaders of the various militant camps by the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in the form of lifeline, security, accommodation and mobility be fulfilled with immediate effect.
“The Federal Government should pay, with immediate effect, the three-month outstanding payments for the pipeline surveillance contract awarded to the ex-agitators by the immediate past administration.
“The Federal Government should also reconsider its termination of the pipeline surveillance contract and re-award same to the ex-agitators for proper and effective security of the pipelines. The Federal Government should expand the PAP to include Niger Delta youths in the creeks, who are currently not included in the programme.”
The spokesman re-affirmed the confidence of the ex-agitators in the leadership of Brig.-Gen. Boroh. He said: “We believe and stand by him that he has the requisite experience and a robust knowledge to effectively pilot the affairs of the Amnesty Office, if given the necessary support and assistance by the Federal Government.
“The PAP was initiated by the Yar’Adua administration to alleviate the plight of the Niger Delta people. It was designed to reach out to the people as compensation for their devastated environment and loss of livelihood due to oil exploration and exploitation activities…”
