Amnesty Programme, has reiterated the commitment of the PAP Office to
provide quality empowerment packages for beneficiaries of the
Presidential Amnesty Programme. This, he says will reduce the
ex-agitators’ dependence on the monthly N65,000 stipends and give them a
decent and more sustainable means of livelihood.
This statement has become necessary due to the recent calls for the
payment of non-statutory allowances such as the Transitional Safety
Allowance (TSA).
A statement from the office of the Interim Administrator, signed by his
SA Media, Nneotaobase Egbe explains that the TSA is not statutorily
provided for and therefore, not captured in the budget provided by the
Presidency.
The Transitional Safety Allowance was a direct payment made by the then
Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Chairman,
Presidential Amnesty Programme, Hon. Kingsley Kuku, who got the approval
from the Federal Executive Council to pay ex-agitators who had been
disarmed, and on their way out of the disarmament centres.
This payment was made for the purpose of transportation, accommodation
and to cushion the social effects at that time for the ex-agitators
transitioning from the creeks to residences within and outside their
respective communities.
This TSA payment was a one-off to all ex-agitators documented in batches
in 2010, 2013 and 2014 and was not captured or documented as a recurrent
annual payment.
The Interim Administrator has frowned at the incessant agitations to
resume the TSA payment and is appealing to those agitating for these
payments to instead refocus their energies to setting up cooperatives
for entrepreneurial purposes which he is willing to support.
It will be recalled that the Presidential Amnesty Programme was created
to stabilize, consolidate and sustain security as well as fast-track
development in the Niger Delta region through effective implementation
of the total Amnesty Package, which includes reintegrating the
ex-agitators back into the society by providing quality training and
empowerment to help them become net contributors to the economic
prosperity of the Niger Delta region and Nigeria as a whole.
Col. Dikio (rtd) has assured delegates that the Presidential Amnesty
Programme is focused on actualizing its original mandate by directing
available resources to achieve optimum results.