Read this: Nasir El-Rufai Niger Delta Amnesty Programme and FG’s $1b expenditure - The Truth of the Matter BY Niger Delta Ex Militants Leadership Forum Gentlemen of the Fifth Estate of the Realm, As part of a weekly exercise to enlighten Niger Deltans and Nigerians and then seek a favourable review of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, we will continue to inform about the continued failings of the Presidential Amnesty Programme and the inability of those that manage it to get it right largely as a result of deliberate FRAUD, carefully plotted embezzlement, elaborate concealment of the facts and outright mismanagement. The truth of the matter is that the Amnesty Programme itself was a laudable programme aimed at engaging those who took up arms against the Nigerian State. The problem however is with the management of the programme. More than 90% of those who are currently benefiting from the training and educational programmes of the Presidential Amnesty Programme were never ex-militants involved in the agitation in the Niger Delta. Many of them had their names smuggled into the amnesty training document list due to the connivance of the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta who also doubles as the Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty Programme and some of the criminal elements amongst the militant leaders. So in essence, while non-militants are ferried around the world for various training programs and educational engagements, the real McCoys (the actual ex-militants) have been abandoned in their various communities where many of them now lead gangs that actively engage in the theft of crude oil and related acts of oil facility sabotage. Fact is, they do not have a choice. What we seek for is not rocket science. Can the amnesty office today allow any relevant agency or private investigators verify the list of those it has sent to it many aviation training schools whether it be South Africa, Dubai or UAE? The Amnesty Office bragged about trainees who are currently engaged at the Lufthansa aviation center in Germany. Can the amnesty office state emphatically and provide evidence that those beneficiaries have ever been part of the armed agitation in the Niger Delta? And that for each and every one of these wrongly placed names, there exist one true militant who is currently stealing crude oil from our creeks? Can the amnesty office provide its data on ex-militants and then compare the accepted list of non-militant elements who truly have a right to enjoy the benefits of the amnesty program? As a matter of fact, the monthly payments to ex-militants is also another wholly dubious charade that has gulped billions of naira. Very few of those to whom monthly remittances have been made are actual militants and the Amnesty Office led by Kingsley Kuku is well aware of this. For every N2 billion naira mismanaged by the Presidential Amnesty Office, Nigeria looses more than N40 bn worth of crude oil. The facts are there and the sooner the President reviews the Amnesty Programme and rejigs the leadership of the Programme, the better for his government and the better for Nigeria. We believe that President Jonathan is committed to getting it right in the Niger Delta BUT we also believe that a continued plot to deceive and hoodwink the President is also in play and it was planned, hatched and orchestrated by the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Kingsley Kuku. There are evidence to show that Kingsley Kuku has been bragging in several centers about how he cannot be removed because he has been throwing money and favours at the right place. Whatever that means. A word is enough for the wise. Thank you for your support. Diepreye Jackson Dikibo Publicity Secretary Ex Militants Leaders Forum ------------------------ Niger Delta Amnesty Programme and FG’s $1b expenditure dailyindependentnig/2013/05/niger-delta-amnesty-programme-and-fgs-1b-expenditure/ MILLIONS OF right-thinking Nigerians must have been profoundly shocked when they learnt recently that the unconditional amnesty the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua-led Federal Government granted the warring Niger Delta militants in 2009 has since consumed a whopping $1 billion. This disturbing and worrisome disclosure was made by the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, while delivering a lecture at the Abia State Youth Empowerment Summit in Umuahia recently. Sanusi reportedly said the amnesty programme which has been engaged in the training of youths at various institutes in Ghana, South Africa, the Philippines, Russia, Ukraine and India, amongst others, has gulped $1 billion since 2009. We recall vividly with nostalgia that although the controversy-ridden Yar’Adua’s administration was majorly characterised by governance on slow wheels throughout its short-lived duration, the unconditional amnesty granted the Niger Delta militants being one of the few achievements of the deceased Nigerian leader. It is noteworthy that Yar’Adua had good intentions for granting the militants amnesty with the hope that the kind gesture would effectively stop the raging restiveness in the crisis-ridden Niger Delta Region, help considerably in the socio-economic development of the area, engage the ex-militants in gainful employment, as well as other meaningful activities that could help improve their living conditions. During the Niger Delta crisis, whenever the militants sneezed, the rest of the country inevitably caught cold. Their engagement in kidnapping of expatriate oil company workers, destruction of oil pipelines, illegal bunkering, establishment of illegal refineries and other forms of criminality seriously affected the total production of oil and the revenue the country realised from oil which is the main source of revenue. The amnesty granted the militants, especially at a crucial period in the history of the country whose unity and stability were visibly threatened through the criminal activities of the militants was a step in the right direction. But it is regrettable that since the demise of Yar’Adua on May 5, 2010, it seems the amnesty programme for the Niger Delta ex-militants has developed cold feet. For instance, we had expected that as the then Vice-President and a prominent indigene of the South-South, who worked closely with Yar’Adua on the amnesty-related matters, Dr Goodluck Jonathan would not find it difficult to ensure successful implementation of the amnesty programme since he assumed office, first as Acting President on May 6, 2010 following the demise of his boss and when he was elected and inaugurated as substantive President on May 29, 2011. We strongly believe that more than anybody else, President Jonathan is in a better position to appreciate the lingering problems of underdevelopment in Niger Delta and swiftly swing into action to ensure the success of the amnesty programme to avert possible return of various forms of criminality in the oil-rich but poverty-ridden area. The laudable amnesty programme was intended to, among other things; assist in disarmament, demobilisation, rehabilitation and integration of remorseful militants. Under the programme, thousands of youths are expected to undergo vocational training in various centres within and outside the country for acquisition of skills in relevant fields. Some will also be enrolled in formal schools. However, it is saddening that not many of these youths have benefitted from the programme while those that have graduated are yet to be gainfully employed. More disheartening is the fact that most of the ex-militants granted amnesty and were promised benefits from the amnesty programme seem to have been abandoned. Only the prominent leaders, some of whom have been awarded oil pipeline protection contracts worth billions of naira and have become multi-billionaires overnight, have been settled. A handful of the ex-militants are now aggrieved and are alleging exclusion from the amnesty programme. A couple of weeks ago, some of the aggrieved ex-militants threatened to resume their dastardly acts having been excluded from the amnesty largesse. This has led to the return of various forms of criminality in Niger Delta. Recently, a group of aggrieved ex-militants shot and killed 13 policemen escorting a prominent ex-militant to the venue of the burial of his mother in Bayelsa State. Nine oil company workers have just been kidnapped in Bayelsa State. If the amnesty programme has been faithfully implemented in a holistic manner, the return of criminal activities would not have arisen. It is unfortunate and unthinkable that in spite of the huge contracts awarded a clique of ex-militants to protect oil pipelines, the flagrant destruction of oil pipelines and theft of oil persist in Niger Delta, in particular. This has also become a deal for enriching the boys at the expense of the economy of the country. If the amnesty programme has not achieved the desired result, it is certainly an indication that the $1billion expended on the programme since 2009 has not been judiciously utilised. It is scandalous and unacceptable that such a huge amount was spent whereas more problems have been created. The Black Empowerment programme in South Africa is a huge success worthy of emulation. No cases of restiveness anymore. In the United States, the Affirmation Action plan is a case-in-point. The gains are visible. But here, the amnesty programme for Niger Delta militants is one-sided to favour some while majority of their followers have been excluded. The cost benefit of the $1 billion is on the side of costs rather than benefits. As usual, this is another way of settling the boys and corruptly enriching some public officials. We urge the National Assembly to investigate this doubtful huge expenditure and make its report public. Those found guilty of misuse of the fund should be prosecuted to serve as a deterrent to others. If the amnesty programme for Niger Delta militants has failed, what is the assurance that the proposed amnesty for Boko Haramsect in the North will not also fail? The amnesty programme should be a holistic plan to be vigorously pursued to provide the Niger Delta region a face-lift and empower the people, especially in view of the failure of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs to justify their existence. Niger Delta Amnesty Programme and FG’s $1b expenditure dailyindependentnig Y
Posted on: Mon, 25 Nov 2013 10:02:47 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015