Maj. Gen. Barry Tariye Ndiomu (retired), the interim administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), has stated that the Niger Delta Amnesty programme will not be abruptly terminated as some have speculated.
Remember that reports have indicated that the federal government would shortly halt the amnesty programme. However, the interim administrator stated that the program's management planned to engage in strategic advocacy to win the agreement and support of important stakeholders as well as former agitators.
When Gen. Ndiomu visited Chief Umanah Umanah during a courtesy visit in his office in Abuja, he expressed his desire to establish a different, more sustainable organisation that would serve the needs of people, particularly those in the Niger Delta's impacted villages.
In a statement by his Special Adviser, Thomas Ndanusa Peretu, the General disclosed that his mandate was to wind down the programme in tandem with international best practices.
He explained that the Niger Delta Amnesty programme was supposed to have been scrapped in 2015, but that the government in its wisdom, felt the need to extend its lifespan to embrace more ex-agitators, explaining that “this does not mean the programme should remain in perpetuity.”
The Interim Administrator recalled that the Presidential Amnesty Programme which was initially designed to last for five years has stayed for 13 years, which he said was over and above the initial five years threshold, stressing that programmes such as the Niger Delta Amnesty were usually established as a stop-gap programme for a given period of time and not meant to last forever.
According to him, “There is a deliberate, purposeful and systematic approach to stagger the process of disengagement in the interest of its target audience”, maintaining that “the programme will not be halted abruptly. Such a decision may bring about some forms of attendant negative reaction from stakeholders.”
Gen. Ndiomu said, “My intention is to engage in a mutually and beneficial relationship with the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs in view of the enormity of the assignment given to him by the presidency.”
Responding, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Chief Umanah Umanah, expressed his ministry’s willingness to support the Presidential Amnesty Programme to achieve its mandate, as directed by the presidency.
The Minister said there was an urgent need for concerted efforts to be made to ensure that the Amnesty Programme was not scrapped without providing an alternative body to cushion the effects of the backlash from the ex-agitators.
While conceding to the fact that interventionist programmes were not meant to subsist perpetually, Chief Umanah called on the new Interim Administrator to put in place a mechanism to audit the activities of the PAP so as to ascertain the financial health of the institution.
He reiterated that the cessation of the programme must be given a human face.
Chief Umanah further advised the Interim Administrator to seek the buy-in of all interest groups within the Niger Delta region to avoid unnecessary reactions from the people.
“As a sister agency established to address the development deficiencies of the Niger Delta region, PAP should count on its support as always”, he asserted.