the oil-producing communities of the Niger Delta, the President Muhammadu
Buhari administration has released additional N35B to step-up the Amnesty
Programme in the region.
Although the FG had approved a N20B allocation for the Amnesty Programme
in the 2016 budget, President Buhari has now raised the funds, and as
appropriated, to N55B with a recent release of additional N30B. There is
also a planned release of another N5B later.
Currently the Amnesty Office has now paid up all ex-militants backlog of
their stipends up to the end of 2016.
The release of the additional funds is coming after presidential level
interactive engagements in the Niger Delta, where the Buhari
administration has enunciated a New Vision for the oil-producing areas
based on the presentation made by the Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, to
the President when he received leaders and stakeholders from the region
last November.
Subsequently, the President asked his deputy, Vice President Yemi
Osinbajo, SAN, to embark on a tour of the region that saw him visiting
several oil-producing States in the country.
Besides the monthly payment of about N65, 000 to N66,000 to the
ex-militants, the funds would also go to the provision of reintegration
activities under the Amnesty Programme including payment of tuition fees
for beneficiaries from Niger Delta who are in post-secondary institutions
at home and abroad, payment of in-training & hazard allowances and
vocational training costs.
There are also empowerment schemes and self-help, self-employment support
funds, including provision of needed equipments by the Amnesty Office.
Equally, the funds would also support the training of pilots, aviation
engineers, technicians, and motor vehicles mechanics from the
oil-producing communities.
The Buhari administration reassures the Niger Delta communities of its
unalloyed commitment to a faithful implementation of its promises made
during the FG interactive engagement visits by the Vice President to
different oil-producing communities
Other promises made during the visits are currently at different stages of
effective implementation, including the effective opening of the Maritime
University, integration of illegal refiners under the concept of new
Modular Refineries, resumption of all abandoned construction projects in
the region, the Ogoni Clean-up, and several others.
For instance the Maritime University is now on course to be opened before
the end of the year as the presidency has already set the process in
motion as announced yesterday. Other announcements are to follow as each
of the commitments of the FG to the Niger Delta oil-producing communities
reach advanced and implementation stages.
Already there is an inter-ministerial group consisting of all relevant
ministries, departments and agencies, MDAs of the FG, with the involvement
of relevant State governments led by the Vice President that meets
regularly to drive the different initiatives and ensure effective and
ongoing implementation.