The Senate Committee on Niger Delta has commenced a two (2) day investigative hearing on the activities of the Presidential Amnesty Programme set up in 2009 by late President Umaru Yar’adua. It will be recalled that the Committee had been mandated to carry out holistic investigations and make necessary recommendations to the Senate at its sitting in July, 2016.
Giving the opening remarks at the hearing, on Thursday, 6th October, 2016, Sen. Peter Nwaboshi (PDP:Delta), Chairman, Senate Committee on Niger Delta, noted that the Presidential Amnesty Programme was inaugurated with the intention of restoring peace in the Niger Delta after years of disrupted economic activity by disarming, rehabilitating and reintegrating militants back to the society. According to him, the investigative hearing would take stock of the activities of the programme by carrying out a well-rounded forensic audit of its activities from 2009 with a view to recommending solutions to anomalies it might discover during investigation. He also described the probe as pertinent stating that the economic growth of the country was dependent on the peace and stability of the Niger Delta region.
Sen. Nwaboshi further mentioned that the Federal Government had dedicated huge financial resources to realize the objectives of the Amnesty Programme, which is targeted at 30,000 youths. However, he expressed disappointment that its concerted efforts had borne minimal fruit except for some moderate peace, which had become elusive since militancy returned to the region.
Opening the event, Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki also expressed dismay that the laudable objectives of the programme had not yet been realized despite the huge allocation appropriated for youth employment and the development of the Niger Delta. He however reinstated the Senate’s support for the programme revealing that it would increase its funding in the 2017 budget provided it was assured that the funds would be efficiently utilized.
Several stakeholders such as Brig. General. Paul Boroh, Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, Acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) were also in attendance at the hearing which is expected to continue on Friday, 7th October, 2016.
