The Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) has launched a new model of
empowerment that will transform delegates into skilled entrepreneurs
and/or employable citizens contributing meaningfully to the economy of
the Niger Delta region, and the nation at large.
The Interim Administrator of the PAP, Col. Milland Dixon Dikio (rtd)
announced this in a statement on Monday, describing it as an end-to-end
empowerment model.
The statement says that PAP will partner with organizations that are
ready and capable of training its delegates, employing successful
trainees and mentoring them to achieve post training proficiency.
Thereafter, they will be encouraged to branch out or own subsidiaries of
the parent company. The catch is that since the delegates are potential
employees, they will be well trained to fit into the company offering
the training. Those who do not make it will have themselves to blame for
a missed opportunity.
According to Col. Dikio (rtd), this will curb multiplicity of the same
kind of empowerment and substandard empowerment packages that are not in
line with the vision for the Amnesty Programme.
“We have designed a wholistic high quality empowerment package that will
reduce delegates’ dependence on monthly stipends.”
“We cannot continue to say we are empowering our delegates and they
cannot boast of anything to do or even find suitable jobs that suit the
skills they have learnt.”
“This is the model that is used by most businesses and organizations in
the South – East and this has proven to be highly successful and
effective”.
The statement further explains that vendors who wish to start their
training and empowerment programmes for beneficiaries must obtain a
letter of approval before commencement.
Col. Dikio (rtd) assured delegates that the Presidential Amnesty
Programme is currently working out the processes that will ensure that
they are not short-changed or deprived of their opportunities.
It will be recalled that one of the focal points of the programme is to
make the Niger Delta the best place to live and do business by directing
available resources to achieve optimum results, and the leadership of
the PAP is committed to actualizing this goal.