On Friday, Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri urged the Federal Government to abandon any plans to stop the Presidential Amnesty Programme since it has not yet succeeded in its goals.
Even the disarming phase of the program, according to Diri, has not been fully realized because weapons and ammunition are still in the wrong hands in the Niger Delta. Diri claimed that PAP has not yet fulfilled its objective.
The governor warned that any attempt to end the program would trigger further disturbances in the area when he met with Major General Barry Ndiomu (retired), the interim administrator of the PAP, in Government House in Yenagoa.
“The amnesty program has three legs,” he stated. The first leg is disarmament, which is a procedure that is supposedly finished. The second leg is demobilization, and the third leg is reintegration. Can we fully persuade ourselves that we have been able to entirely dearm the Niger Delta of all firearms in our region?
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“While we are in the final stages of reintegration, you and I are aware that there are still a lot of weapons in our Niger Delta and that non-state actors are in possession of weapons. Although it has been claimed that the process is complete, I would like to make it plain that it is not.
“At this point, I want to focus more on the reintegration issue. Reintegration is more like a continual process of developing human ability, therefore in order for you to keep developing human capacity, the amnesty program must be in place. As I listen to you, I’m glad to hear that you have already enrolled in it.
“At this point, ending the amnesty program would be wrong on someone’s part. That will be interpreted as being inconsiderate to the situation in the area.
While admitting that the Federal Government has backed off on its plan to end the program, Diri claimed that allowing PAP to continue would be the best gift the government could give to the residents of the Niger Delta.
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The governor encouraged Ndiomu to address the program’s difficulties and sign his name in gold, stating that they are so severe that it may be necessary to consider shutting down the initiative.
“Let me use this occasion of your courteous call to urge the FG that continuing to support and prolong the Presidential Amnesty Programme is the best thing and the best present to the Niger Delta.
Yes, there are difficulties, as you correctly noted, but the Amnesty program has also seen some measure of success.
The difficulties are what keep our individuals moving in and out of the organization. Therefore, whenever I have the chance, I think it’s appropriate to write your name in gold as well as the name of your state, Bayelsa.
“We know you have the ability to face those problems if you have arrived and discovered particular difficulties. Please do all in your power to keep the Amnesty program alive and let our people be the program’s ultimate beneficiaries, Diri said.
The governor urged Ndiomu to resist the temptation to politicize the amnesty office, stating that the people were one and the same prior to the formation of the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party.
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I’ve always reminded us that we were one and the same people prior to the APC and PDP, he continued. I would like to urge you not to politicize the amnesty program because those who gave their life in the way that Boro did weren’t doing it for political reasons.
Ndiomu was the third representative of Bayelsa to work at the amnesty office, and Diri urged him to represent the state in all of his endeavors to prevent regret.
Diri scowled at the amnesty program’s residence in Abuja and said that his administration had given a piece of land for the construction of a suitable office to house the program.
“The amnesty program as it is currently implemented is more Abuja. Except for those who visit your offices in Abuja, it’s nearly an alien program to our people. I’d like to request that you make sure the amnesty program’s headquarters are located in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state.
The state government has already given a piece of property for that reason, he added, “to this end.”
To prevent duplication of projects and programs, Diri urged cooperation between the state administration, the amnesty program, and the Niger Delta Development Commission.
The governor, who was overseeing the continuing cleanup of Ogoni, observed the slow progress of the program and reminded the federal government that numerous Niger Delta sites required remediation.
We have also pushed for the Niger Delta cleanup to involve more than just the Ogoni, he continued. We are all aware that the Niger Delta’s entire environment has been contaminated. As Bayelsa is not an exception, one of the primary duties that PAP should also consider in collaboration with other ministries and government organizations is improving our environment.
Ndiomu sought the Bayelsa government’s backing for his own administration.
He declared that he was prepared to change the amnesty program to increase its influence on the recipients and make it more goal-oriented.
NAN
