N’Delta stakeholders warn against planned scrapping of PAP

A directive to the newly appointed Interim Administrator, Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Maj. Gen. Barry Ndiomu (retd.), to end the scheme within six months has caused disquite.

It was gathered that Ndiomu was mandated to close the programme and scrap the amnesty office on or before April 2023.

It was learnt that as part of the mandate, Ndiomu’s letter of appointment was designed to expire in six months unlike his predecessor, Col. Milland Dixon Dikio (retd), who enjoyed two terms of one year each.

Dikio had transmuted PAP to the Niger Delta Stabilisation Programme (NDSP) instead of ending it.

He had explained that the NDSP if implemented would focus on youngsters in the region and evolve activities to take their minds away from drug abuse, criminality, and militancy.

But the Federal Government was reportedly uninterested in NDSP as it insisted that PAP had served out its usefulness.

The late former President, Musa Yar’Adua, had proclaimed an amnesty for the Niger Delta militants in 2009 amid heightened militancy.

The proclamation led to PAP’s establishment with a mandate to run a Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) programme.

One of the sources said, “The new Interim administrator of PAP has been given a brief by the Federal Government to end the programme in six months.

“His appointment letter is for six months. He has received a marching order from the government.”

Efforts to reach the PAP boss failed, but sources close to Ndiomu confirmed the development.

One of them said the PAP chief had scheduled a meeting with the commanders of the defunct Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND).

They include the Amayanabo of Okochiri in Okirika, Rivers State, King Ateke Tom; Chief Government Ekpemupolo alias Tompolo; Victor Ben Ebikabowei aka Boyloaf and High Chief Ajube Bibopiri, popularly called Shoot-at-Sight.

The source added, “Ndiomu has scheduled a meeting with the Big Five this week and he may use the opportunity to tell them the new development and hear them out.”

PANDEF, IYC, others differ

But, stakeholders, including the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC), a frontline human rights activist in Edo State, Kola Edokpayi; leader of the Amnesty Programme Phase 2 in Akwa Ibom, Imoh Okoko and pioneer national secretary of the PAP Phase 3, Tam Odogwu, said it would not be a good idea to scrap the programme.

PANDEF Publicity Secretary, Mr Ken Raymond, warned that scrapping the programme would amount to “looking for trouble”.

Raymond said, “There are things that should be on the ground before the programme is wound down. This has not been done. If they do they are looking for trouble. The decision is unnecessary.

“How can an administration that is ending in nine months begin to consider such moves? They should allow the incoming administration to decide on such matters.

“What we expect is proper funding and a substantive administrator appointed for the programme.”

IYC Worldwide National Spokesperson, Ebilade Ekerefe, said, “PAP was established to carry out the DDR. For now, it has only been able to achieve the disarmament programme.

“It has, however, failed to actualise the demobilisation and reintegration of ex-agitators.

“Therefore, you cannot end the programme. In as much as we believe that it is not an everlasting programme, all we are saying is that you must meet the mandate before you end it.”

Ekerefe insisted that PAP had remained one of the programmes sustaining the peace in the Niger Delta insisting that ending it without meeting its mandate would have some negative consequences.

Edokpayi cautioned the Federal Government against scrapping PAP.

Edokpayi said: “The 2009 amnesty offer to the repentant Niger Delta militants by the administration of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua doused the tension in the crude oil and gas-rich region, with the youths being adequately empowered and well-educated.

“The barrels per day of crude oil production in the Niger Delta suddenly went up as a result of the amnesty offer, with peace restored to the region.

“With many barrels of crude oil now being lost to illegal bunkering and outright theft in the Niger Delta, it will be unwise to scrap PAP within six months, considering its gains.”

The activist also asked the Federal Government empower all repentant militants before the Programme is scrapped.

He added, “Except the Federal Government wants the Niger Delta to boil again, let them go ahead and scrap it without fulfilling all righteousness.

“I am not talking about myself but I can assure you the boys will react.”

Odogwu said it was unlikely that the programme would be scrapped.

He said of 30,000 beneficiaries of the programme, the number of those fully trained and empowered fell short of 10,000.

He said, “It is going to be chaotic because out of the 30,000 beneficiaries under the amnesty programme, you will be surprised that not up to 10,000 has been fully trained and empowered.

“I am the pioneer national secretary of the phase three amnesty made up of 3,642. These 3,642, not up to 50 persons have been trained and empowered. So how do you want to end a program like that?

“It means the target for which the programme was established will be lost. Yar’adua’s vision will be lost.

“The Federal Government is ready to kill the Niger Delta citizens. If that is the plan, they should have a rethink.

“But I don’t think that is the plan. Nothing like that will happen, because for President Buhari to have sustained the programme to this moment, I believe he will still sustain it till after his government.”

An elder of the region, Chief Anabs Sara-Igbe, said scraping PAP would lead to the return of militancy in the region.

He said, “The moment it is wound down, Nigerians will see many more agitations and should also expect another Northeast in the country.”

Source: The Nation