PAP Has Been Beneficial But Budget Increment Is Long Overdue—Ex- Agitator

A prominent ex-Niger Delta freedom fighter, Comr. Tonye Bobo also known as Sir T, has expressed gratitude to the Nigerian Government for initiating and sustaining the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) over the last fifteen years.

It would be recalled that the late former President Umar Musa Yar’Adua initiated the Amnesty Programme in 2009 following the violent agitations for resource control in the creeks of the oil-rich Niger Delta.

These agitations, which were majorly carried out by youths of the region, resulted in the drastic drop of crude oil production in Nigeria due to the security challenges arising from the protests.

In an exclusive interview with News men, Bobo said it was a wise decision to negotiate with the Niger Delta agitators at the time and for ensuring that they are well taken care of, trained, and reintegrated back to society.

Bobo, who is a former National Chairman of the Third Phase Ex-agitators Forum, further lauded the idea of the PAP.

He expressed belief that the programme has been one of the best gifts from the Nigerian Government to the Niger Delta region which he insists has hitherto been marginalized.

“The Nigerian state has not been fair to the Niger Delta people who are like the goose that has been laying the golden egg for all Nigerians to enjoy.

“This led to the arm struggle that brought about the Amnesty Programme by the Umar Musa Yar’Adua-led federal government.

“Today we have thousands of ex-militants who have graduated from reputable higher institutions and are skilled in various relevant vocations. The benefits of the PAP can never be overemphasised,” he said.

He particularly commended President Bola Tinubu for not only continuing the programme but appointing a fellow freedom fighter (Dr. Dennis Otuaro) to steer the ship of the Amnesty Office.

The Bayelsa-born youth leader further said: “Let me seize this medium to appreciate the many great feats of High Chief Dennis Otuaro as well as his leadership style and approach since assuming office.

“As expected, Otuaro has so far performed up to par considering the fact that he knows the yearnings of ex-agitators and has instituted an effective stakeholder management approach to always reach out to all stakeholders and delegates.”

Bobo however opined that for the current PAP leadership to achieve more, its budget has to be considerably increased.

He added that the budget provision is relatively too meagre for any Administrator to achieve extraordinary results, noting that “even a magician cannot perform magic with the current budget.”

He therefore urged President Tinubu to consider an increase in the PAP budget starting from the 2025 fiscal year to enable the Amnesty Office to effectively achieve its objectives.