PAP: Ex-agitators doomed without post amnesty plans — Akpabio

Urges supports for NDDC to rescue

TRACKING___The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has appealed to the concerned people of the Niger Delta to join hands with him in a bid to reposition the operations of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, warning the region would be doomed if urgent steps are not taking to protect the future wellbeing of the people.

Senator Akpabio, who spoke on backdrop of a recent proposal by the Federal Government to scrap the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) for repentant Niger Delta Militants by December 2020, said Niger Deltans must begin to plan for Post Amnesty Initiative, PAI.

The former Senate Minority leader, who was angst over the mismanagement of resources by previous drivers at the NDDC, reproached those responsible for the manipulation of activities to the detriment of the common people at the commission.

Condemning a situation where there was no plan on ground to ensure proper care and initiatives to salvage the people of the region, especially the ageing group, the immediate past Governor of Akwa Ibom State lamented the plight of those exiting the age limit for amnesty beneficiaries.

According to him, “Today, we have amnesty programme, we must plan for the end of amnesty, it cannot be in perpetuity. So where is the industry these people will go and work when amnesty ends?

“Amnesty was supposed to be for young Stars below 40 years, it has gone for about 11 years now, very soon those on amnesty will be on 60 and 70 years. So we must begin to plan for what I call PAI, Post Amnesty Initiative.

“We must think out of the box. Even in the Niger Delta the kind of pollution in the air, cancer, the sore throat. I can’t understand why NDDC can’t have one hospital in the whole region.

“I believe in development rather than noise. From the new release from the National Assembly and in that release there you have one person having 74 jobs another person 53.

So I won’t be able to talk now because forensic is going on. Almost 70 roads are easily been completed now without one job been issued because a lot of people had a job since 2004, 2006 and have gone back to the site. We will include the Niger Delta region.

There was outrage in Niger-Delta, over the information that the Committee set up by the Federal Government to appraise the Presidential Amnesty Programme, PAP, for ex-agitators in the region had recommended that the programme be terminated this year.

Although the plans have since met with resistance from notable people and a group from the region, including the Pan-Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF.

The PANDEF, stakeholders, including agitators, across the region, have kicked against the plot, warning that ending the programme abruptly was like declaring mayhem in the oil region.

They described the news that the government wants to scrap the amnesty programme as the worst recommendation ever that anyone should give now to the government especially now that we are facing challenges of COVID-19 and economic issues.

It was also argued that the programme has stabilized the region and should not just be called off if the government wants to peace to be sustained.