The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Boroh

  • Osinbajo’s visit to Niger Delta a lifetime opportunity, says Boroh

    Osinbajo’s visit to Niger Delta a lifetime opportunity, says Boroh

    The Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, Brig.-Gen. Paul Boroh has described the visit of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to the Niger Delta on Monday as a lifetime opportunity.

      Gen. Paul Boroh said the recognition of the environmental challenges of the Niger Delta by the President Muhammadu Buhari  administration, its  offer  to treat the area as a special economic zone  and its template for peace were offers the region must grab with both hands.

      He said the government’s acceptance of the 16-Point Demand of the Pan-Niger Delta Elders Forum (PANDEF) was a significant concession which PANDEF and other groups in the region should embrace.

    Gen. Boroh hailed Buhari for his directive that everything possible would be done for the Nigeria Maritime University (NMU) to take-off in the next academic year. He urged all concerned to get to work and appealed to the National Assembly to pass the   NMU Bill.

    The special adviser hailed the warm reception accorded the Vice President and his delegation by the Niger Delta people and urged all who pledged to work for peace to keep to it.

      Gen. Boroh said: “Even Siamese twins have disagreements, so it is not unlikely that the various peoples who make up the Niger Delta may differ on some issues. All the people in the region have a common agenda of a clean environment, jobs for the unemployed, peace in the region and overall development.”

     He urged better understanding and tolerance and the need for  a united front by all.

    Gen. Boroh, who coordinates the Presidential Amnesty Programme, said: “A take away from the Vice President’s visit is that people can agitate and win without resort to violence.”

     He said the elders, leaders, traditional leaders and youths in the Niger Delta have a duty to work for   a climate of peace in order to ensure development.”

    He also called on the oil companies to go beyond tokenism and invest in the environment

  • How to curb restiveness in the Niger Delta, by Boroh

    How to curb restiveness in the Niger Delta, by Boroh

    The Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Co-ordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Brig-Gen. Paul Boroh, in this paper delivered participants of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), lays bare the poverty in the Niger Delta and the role the PAP has played in reducing it. Excerpts:

    The Niger Delta region has benefitted from Federal Government investment of over $40 Billion, over the last 10 years.  Through a variety of Federal and State Government interventions (schemes and programmes), skills acquisition has been a key tool of government to work towards reducing high levels of poverty in the region.

    The PAP has currently trained 13,571 delegates and with 712 delegates that are currently in-training in a variety of vocational skills. Also, the PAP has graduated 1,230 in various fields of education and currently has 3,057 students in various universities across the globe still studying.  These acquired skills and education have given a total of 18,570 delegates (in education and vocation both graduated and in-training/studying) the opportunities to access sustainable livelihood.  Delegates access to entrepreneurial activities that have earned them on the average, income higher than the minimum wage in Nigeria.  The Programme has therefore been a tool for poverty reduction in the region, given the level of socio-economic improvement of the delegates in terms of education, access to employment as well as access to empowerment in a variety of business areas.

    The results of the survey of 232 delegates have demonstrated the assumption that skills acquisition has a positive impact on poverty reduction.  However, other factors like income (monthly stipend, monthly salary, monthly personal drawings from profit) received by delegates, are also critical.    The acquired skills need to therefore lead to a form of income, through employment or self-employment. Actual poverty reduction also depends on the level of income secured in the employment of micro-business, as the 2016 ILO report on decent jobs highlights. (World, Employment Social Outlook 2016: Transforming Jobs to End Poverty”, International Labour Organization, 2016).

    Many of the surveyed delegates who were empowered with entrepreneurial skills and starter pack items to start-up businesses, have been able to grow their businesses with a good profit margin and these businesses may soon be able to create more jobs in the region thus, having multiplier effects on other households and families. Also, a significant percentage of the skilled, employed and empowered delegates are females and majority of the delegates are married and have dependents under them. This implies that the training, employment and empowerment have multiplier effects on the households and families of the delegates.   Also, a significant percentage of the surveyed delegates become car and house owners within the short period of training, employment and empowerment. Those who had been trained and empowered in business, clearly showed that they have benefitted the most from the PAP.

    The indicators and findings of the survey of the delegates therefore show that the PAP has the socio-economic potentials to continue to improve the wellbeing of the citizens in the region and in the country at large.     Nevertheless, a significant percentage of delegates are yet to be trained and many more still need to be employed or empowered.   This challenge has the potential to reduce the success level of the programme and the capacity of the programme in reducing poverty in the region, if not addressed.

     

    RECOMMENDATIONS

    The following recommendations are proffered to serve as policy interventions for the Federal Government’s Intervention in the Niger Delta:

    • There should be a review of the Niger Delta Regional Development Plan and a renewed cohesive and comprehensive approach should be adopted with regards to investment in the Niger Delta Region by the all stakeholders, including Government and private companies.
    • The various government agencies in the Niger Delta must be strengthened in a way and manner that they can effectively institute transformation in the region. Each of these levels of government agencies must continue to strive to contribute its own quota to the poverty reduction in the Region through training and skills acquisition and empowerment.
    • Skills acquisition interventions must be accompanied with fully-funded job creation and micro business entrepreneurship programmes at federal and state levels.
    • In line with the transparency of President Muhammadu Buhari Administration and to ensure peace in the region, all stakeholders within the Niger Delta region need to be continuously engaged and involved in the monitoring of implementation of these government interventions.
    • The Framework for PAP should be strengthened by increasing the capacity of the Programme to accommodate and give support to all delegates. This could be through private organisations and encourage public-private partnership to increase the scope of service delivery of the Programme and also to attract more funds and support for efficiency and effectiveness. This would enable the empowerment of more businesses that will further create job opportunities in the region.
    • Agencies charged with responsibility for the provision of infrastructure in the Niger Delta region, need a clear sense of direction and to be seen to deliver timely results, to enable the development of a more conducive business environment in the Region.
    • Environmental concerns in the Region should go beyond rhetoric. Action should be taken on zero tolerance for gas flaring, and such other factors which degrade the environment of the Niger Delta during oil exploitation. A multi-sectoral approach is required for cleaning of the region to solve the environmental problem and security problem. Public sector cooperation and synergy becomes imperative.
    • The political matrix upon which the regional economy can develop is very important. Therefore, it is necessary to nurture a transparent democratic process which respects the sovereign will of the people as expressed through their votes and consultative channels that allow unrestricted media attention, as well as the development of a political leadership that is accountable.
    • Skill acquisition packages for Niger Deltans promise a better future for both the local population and the companies if well managed. Upon the completion of their training and education in oil related skills, the companies should ensure that they are recruited and engaged in the oil industry by a quota system.
    • To sustain poverty reduction in the region, it is important that government continues to find a platform for round table discussions with the inhabitants of the Niger Delta as much as possible to reduce agitation in the region.
    • Collaboration among the security arrangements in the region comprising the Police, private and community-based security organisations is critical to lasting Peace in the region.
    • Finally, Government policies must be sustainable and modified only to suit the need of the populace particularly in the Niger Delta. Policies and programmes of the government must be time relevant and consistent with change in administration for positive results and lasting peace in Niger Delta region.

  • Utilise services of PAP graduates, Boroh tells oil firms

    The Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Brig.-Gen. Paul Boroh (retd.) has enjoined major oil and gas companies to use the services of those trained in specialised skills in the oil and gas areas under the programme.

    Boroh spoke in Abuja when he visited the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Maikanti Baru.

    The presidential aide said 6,505 trained delegates could close existing manpower gaps in the sector with expertise in various areas of the industry.

    Addressing the imperatives for local content in the oil and gas sector, Boroh said the delegates had demonstrated a knack for excellence and were positioned to make meaningful contributions to improve service delivery in the industry.

    The PAP coordinator said his visit to the NNPC Towers centred on special employment considerations for the programme’s graduates in international oil companies in the region.

    He said their jobs would fast-track the reintegration of beneficiaries into civil life and living a violence-free life.

    Boroh described some of the delegates as First and Second Class awardees, who had shown extra-ordinary commitment to further develop their careers in companies or sub-contracting companies operating in Niger Delta.

    Fourteen of the delegates were said to have graduated with First Class/Distinction and 33 others with Second Class Upper/Merit.

    Baru expressed concerns over reduced oil production because of vandalism, piracy, militancy and illegal bunkering.

    The NNPC chief hailed the PAP Office for combating the vices by deploying skills development for thousands of youths in the Niger Delta.

    He expressed optimism that the skills acquired by the delegates in oil and gas would be a huge asset to the nation.

     

  • Boroh: Fed Govt to train 500 ex-militants in agric

    Boroh: Fed Govt to train 500 ex-militants in agric

    The Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, Brig.-Gen. Paul Boro (retd) has said the Federal Government will train 500 former militants in agriculture and aquaculture under its Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP).

    Boro spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) after his visit to Bio-Resources Development Centre (BIODEC) at Odi in Bayelsa State.

    He said the would-be trainees were selected from Akwa Ibom, Abia, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo and Rivers states. The special adviser said the training would create jobs and wealth for the youths, especially now that the nation is planning to diversify its economy.

    According to him, 18 other ex-militants have acquired skills in aquaculture under the programme.

    Boro, who is also the PAP Coordinator, said he toured the centre to monitor the progress of the workers and the livestock.

    He said: “The Amnesty Office is committed to training youths to become productive in the area of agriculture and aquaculture.

    “We will encourage them to plan their future, study and appreciate the value of knowledge in the modern society.”

  • Ex-militants hail Boroh on Bayelsa Amnesty office

    Ex-militants hail Boroh on Bayelsa Amnesty office

    EX-Niger Delta militants,under the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), yesterday hailed the Federal Government and the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, Brig.-Gen. Paul Boroh (retd), for opening a Liaison Office in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.

    Former militant leaders – Godspower Mabiko, Solomon Audu, Collins Arigo and Mienbi Perede – spoke on behalf of Phase II ex-militants in Delta State.

    They praised Boroh for executing what had been pending for long, saying it would impact positively on lives of Niger Delta youths.

    The ex-militants urged Boroh to extend the gesture to other Niger Delta states.

    They noted that it would open doors for youths because of its proximity.

    Also, the state’s ex-militant leaders in Phase II, Olotu Wanemi and Joseph Baghebo, said the Liaison Office would further bridge the gap between ex-militants and the Federal Government.

    They said Boroh’s decisions and actions had shown his readiness and capability to implement the programme to a successful end.

    The former militant leaders urged their colleagues to support Boroh to achieve greater feats.

    They advised ex-militants to discourage being used by those seeking appointments, adding that the delay in the payment of stipends was not Boroh’s fault.

    They said: “Boroh should understand that managing humans is the most difficult thing. But he should not be discouraged to focus on his job. He should know that whoever ascends that office must be faced with challenges, either by one group or the other. We will continue to support his efforts to ensure success of the programme.”

  • Boroh: Amnesty’s exit plan to save N5b

    •Over 12,000 ex-militants to be rehabilitated in two-years 

    The Presidential Amnesty Programme is implementing an exit plan for its winding up in two years.

    The programme, which was established five years ago to rehabilitate ex-agitators in the Niger Delta, was to wind up in December, but it was extended, following the absence of an exit plan.

    According to Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Coordinator of the Programme, Brig. Gen. Paul Boroh (retd), over 3,000 beneficiaries exiting this year would save the nation over N5 billion in stipend payments.

    Boroh, who spoke yesterday in Abuja at a media briefing, explained that his task on resumption in office last June was to develop a template to ensure its winding up as it was a project that cannot continue in perpetuity.

    He also said a task force had been set up to work out and implement the exit strategy to ensure that national security is not compromised.

    The coordinator said although over 17,000 ex-agitators, who voluntarily surrendered their arms, were trained and rehabilitated, additional 12, 678 ex-militants yet to benefit from the programme, would be trained before the exit in two years.

    He said: “The Presidential Amnesty Programme will be exiting 3,232 beneficiaries. They have been trained as entrepreneurs and have received business and set/starter packs.

    “Also affected are beneficiaries of the Oil &Gas International Foundation (OGIF) programme and the 400 for whom the office secured employment. Exiting the 3,232 beneficiaries will save government N2,520,960,000 in stipend payments. A second batch of 1,042, with starter packs to establish their businesses, are soon to be exited from the programme, which will result in a further N812,760,000 saving.

    “Depending on the budgetary allocation and release, Amnesty Office plans to exit additional 2,958 beneficiaries by end of this year, which amounts to a N2,307,240,000 saving that would otherwise have been spent on stipend payments.”

    Speaking on the importance of the plan, Boroh explained that the “exercise is a significant step in the five-year Amnesty Programme, which had never exited any of the 30,000 beneficiaries. It is also part of the exit strategies of the Presidential Amnesty Programme.  The amnesty programme has trained 17,322 of the beneficiaries, leaving a balance of 12,678. Additionally, it has embarked on the domestication of its programmes.

    “Five of its 49 training centres are offshore while it has students in 31 tertiary institutions abroad. With effect from the 2015/16 session, 95 per cent of the student deployment was for local institutions.

    “Also, the amnesty programme has, in five years, secured admission and given scholarships to 5,234 beneficiaries, 3082 got admission in the country, 2,150 abroad, and 272 graduated.”

    Boroh also said the Federal Government would begin the clean-up of Ogoniland in a month’s time, with support from governments, including United Kingdom, United States of America, Israel and China.

    He said he was holding talks with security agencies, including some ex-militants, on the need to guarantee the security of those that would carry out the clean up exercise.

  • Boroh: Amnesty’s exit plan to save N5b

    Boroh: Amnesty’s exit plan to save N5b

    •Over 12,000 ex-militants to be rehabilitated in two-years 

    The Presidential Amnesty Programme is implementing an exit plan for its winding up in two years.

    The programme, which was established five years ago to rehabilitate ex-agitators in the Niger Delta, was to wind up in December, but it was extended, following the absence of an exit plan.

    According to Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Coordinator of the Programme, Brig. Gen. Paul Boroh (retd), over 3,000 beneficiaries exiting this year would save the nation over N5 billion in stipend payments.

    Boroh, who spoke yesterday in Abuja at a media briefing, explained that his task on resumption in office last June was to develop a template to ensure its winding up as it was a project that cannot continue in perpetuity.

    He also said a task force had been set up to work out and implement the exit strategy to ensure that national security is not compromised.

    The coordinator said although over 17,000 ex-agitators, who voluntarily surrendered their arms, were trained and rehabilitated, additional 12, 678 ex-militants yet to benefit from the programme, would be trained before the exit in two years.

    He said: “The Presidential Amnesty Programme will be exiting 3,232 beneficiaries. They have been trained as entrepreneurs and have received business and set/starter packs.

    “Also affected are beneficiaries of the Oil &Gas International Foundation (OGIF) programme and the 400 for whom the office secured employment. Exiting the 3,232 beneficiaries will save government N2,520,960,000 in stipend payments. A second batch of 1,042, with starter packs to establish their businesses, are soon to be exited from the programme, which will result in a further N812,760,000 saving.

    “Depending on the budgetary allocation and release, Amnesty Office plans to exit additional 2,958 beneficiaries by end of this year, which amounts to a N2,307,240,000 saving that would otherwise have been spent on stipend payments.”

    Speaking on the importance of the plan, Boroh explained that the “exercise is a significant step in the five-year Amnesty Programme, which had never exited any of the 30,000 beneficiaries. It is also part of the exit strategies of the Presidential Amnesty Programme.  The amnesty programme has trained 17,322 of the beneficiaries, leaving a balance of 12,678. Additionally, it has embarked on the domestication of its programmes.

    “Five of its 49 training centres are offshore while it has students in 31 tertiary institutions abroad. With effect from the 2015/16 session, 95 per cent of the student deployment was for local institutions.

    “Also, the amnesty programme has, in five years, secured admission and given scholarships to 5,234 beneficiaries, 3082 got admission in the country, 2,150 abroad, and 272 graduated.”

    Boroh also said the Federal Government would begin the clean-up of Ogoniland in a month’s time, with support from governments, including United Kingdom, United States of America, Israel and China.

    He said he was holding talks with security agencies, including some ex-militants, on the need to guarantee the security of those that would carry out the clean up exercise.

  • Kinsmen to Boroh: Don’t betray Buhari’s confidence

    Kinsmen of the newly appointed Coordinator for the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Brig-Gen. Paul Boroh have urged him not to betray the confidence reposed in him by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Boroh hails from Trofani in Sagbama, the Local Government Area of the incumbent Governor of Bayelsa State, Mr. Seriake Dickson.

    The kinsmen under the aegis of the Trofani Patriotic Front (TPF) described Boroh as a seasoned professional, an administrator and hailed Buhari’s forthrightness for selecting him.

    The Chairman of TPF, Mr. Christopher Abarowei and Secretary, Mr. Sunday Koinyan, who spoke to journalists on Saturday in Yenagoa asked Bororh to use his wealth of experience to positively affect lives.

    Abarowei said: “Boroh is a true Kabowei son who has the highest level of integrity and dedication to the growth of his fatherland and therefore will not misplace the confidence reposed in him by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    “We implore the new coordinator to proactively address issues affecting the amnesty Programme as it concerns the payments of tuition fees and other allowances especially of youths studying abroad”.

    Abarowei urged Boroh to adopt novel approach in dealing with issues affecting the region and asked the youths to promote peace and unity.

    “We also call on ex-militants and their leaders to give maximum cooperation to Boroh in his new assignment to make the Niger Delta particularly the Ijaw nation a peaceful and prosperous place to stay and create investment opportunities for a better future,” Abarowei.