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Tag: Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP)

  • Presidential aide charges states to complement FG’s amnesty programmes

    Presidential aide charges states to complement FG’s amnesty programmes

    The Coordinator, Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Brig.-Gen. Paul Boroh has urged states in the Niger Delta region to come with up youth inclusiveness programme.

    Boroh made this call at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum held in Abuja on Sunday.

    He said that the states should also ensure an enabling environment for the business of the youths to thrive.

    According to him, the Federal Government’s Presidential Amnesty Programme would be more successful with the support of the states.

    “Now in the area of sustainability of the presidential amnesty programme, it’s a programme that only the Federal Government has been responsible for managing since 2009.

    “It is an extremely expensive programme but (it is responsible) for the peace which we are all enjoying now.

    “ I want to discuss the need for the states to also be involved in ensuring that they too come up with their own programme that will be more encompassing that will have their youths very well managed.

    “As an executive of a state, it is his (state governor) responsibility to ensure there is peace in the states (and to create) the platform for job opportunities for the people in the state and then to also ensure that people in the states go about their normal business.

    “ So I think the states should also be more involved in ensuring that they establish the enabling environment to allow for peace, stability and development in the various states,’’ he said.

    The coordinator also called on the Niger Delta people to continue to patiently support efforts by the Federal Government and other stakeholders towards addressing the challenges of the region.

    “My experience working in the Presidential Amnesty Office reveals to me a lot of behavioural attitude of people in that region.

    “That we are not as patient as we should be. Even Rome was not built in one day. It requires planning to get it right.

    “ Children that are born definitely have some time before they try to stand up and when they stand up, they take their time to also walk.

    “Even the days and the nights when you wake up in the morning you still need to find the day later there will be afternoon and then towards evening hours there will be night fall and then night.

    “ We should actually plan properly before we execute our plans; we should be patient with the government to get it right. If you rush things at the end you will not get it right.’’

  • Ex-militants seek probe of N541bn spent on amnesty  

    Ex-militants seek probe of N541bn spent on amnesty  

    Ex-militants and former beneficiaries of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Tuesday, urged the Federal Government to probe N541bn spent on the scheme in the past eight years.

    The ex-militants under the auspices of Transparency and Accountability Movement (TAMND) in Niger Delta (TAMND) said despite the funds, the programme from the beginning failed to fulfill its promises to beneficiaries.

    The group of ex-agitators in a statement signed by its Chairman, Lord Onipa and Secretary, Nengi Buna, demanded publication of the camp lists of the delegates that brought the total number of the beneficiaries to 30,000.

    They said after eight years, the amnesty programme had failed to keep its promises of providing accommodation, vehicles, money to start a new life and other provisions initially made for ex-militants.

    The ex-militants said: “We also frowned at the situation whereby stipends/allowances to delegates in schools and other training programme are owed in arrears from five to six months. These are the issues bothering us as a group in the region.

    “The amnesty programme has failed to fulfill appreciable percentage of the agreed conditions to ex-agitators. We wish to put it on record that, the Federal Government has so far, spent over N541bn, on the amnesty programme for the past eight years.

    “We began to wonder whether the amnesty programme is properly coordinated or it is designed to benefit some Federal Government agencies or Nigerian security agencies and those at the helms of affairs of the programme?

    “We are demanding that the Amnesty Office should bring out all the names of delegates and when and where they were trained?

    “It is also our firm conviction that the sum of N541 Billion Naira spent on the programme is a fraud, and call on the Federal Government to set up an investigative panel to unravel the secrets behind this colossal waste of money without any meaningful achievement.

    “We also demand that; let the Federal Government publish each camp list of delegates who embraced the amnesty that bring the total number to 30,000 as been claimed by the Amnesty Office”.

    They claimed that some innocent delegates of PAP like one Amas Fanga, were tortured and killed following double standards of Federal Government’s security agencies.

    The ex-militants also asked the government to grant unconditional freedom to one Jackson Fuotubai and others who were allegedly arrested and detained unlawfully by security agencies.

    “With the palpable and terrible conditions in which the amnesty delegates are still going through, we wonder whether the aims and objectives of the programme would be achieved.

    “If these legitimate demand does not receive any positive response, to address the grave issues raised, it might lead to breakdown of law and order in the region,” they said.

  • Amnesty office to collaborate with varsities in agro-based training

    Amnesty office to collaborate with varsities in agro-based training

    The Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) says it will collaborate with credible institutions such as the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO) to train beneficiaries of the programme.

    The Coordinator of PAP, Brig-Gen. Paul Boroh (Rtd), said that this would complement government’s effort at creating specialised training for beneficiaries of the amnesty programmes in the Niger Delta.

    A statement issued by Mr Owei Lakemfa, Head, Media and Communication, Amnesty Office on Sunday in Abuja disclosed that Boroh disclosed this at the graduation ceremony of the FUTO on Thursday in Owerri.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 24 beneficiaries of PAP were among the graduating students.

    Boroh, who was represented by the Head of Monitoring and Evaluation, Mr Bestman Probel, commended the University for its well-defined curriculum on agro-based trainings, particularly in poultry and aqua culture.

    In his remarks, the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Festus Eze, said the university was ready to collaborate with the Amnesty office to train more beneficiaries in the area of agricultural production techniques.

    Eze thanked President Muhammudu Buhari for sustaining the Amnesty programme and urged beneficiaries to make maximum use of the knowledge and skills acquired during the training.

    He appealed to the Presidential Amnesty Office to send more beneficiaries to the university for similar training in future.

    In his contribution, Mr Chuks Nwanodu, the consultant and facilitator of the training programme, said the one-month intensive course on poultry and fishery was tailored towards making the beneficiaries to become agricultural entrepreneurs.

    He commended the PAP for the various programmes initiated for youths within two years to ensure peace and stability in the Niger Delta region.

  • 66 ex-agitators secure scholarships for sports studies in Barcelona

    66 ex-agitators secure scholarships for sports studies in Barcelona

    Sixty-six ex-agitators and selected youths in the Niger Delta area have been offered scholarships to study Sports Management Fundamental at the Johan Cruyff Institute of Barcelona, the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) said on Wednesday.

    The Coordinator of the programme, retired Brig.-Gen. Paul Boroh, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

    Boroh, also the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs,  said that the course contents of Sports Management Fundamental were put together by the university of Amsterdam.

    He said that the programme was meant to blend academic with sports education.

    The coordinator said beneficiaries would combine their studies with training sessions while in camp and also have three hours lectures every day.

    Boroh said at the end of four months, successful course participants would be awarded Foundation of Sports Management certificates.

    He said this could lead them to proceed for their post graduate diploma in sports management, marketing and promotion.

    “Why we are introducing the course to the beneficiaries of the PAP and young people in the region is to give them the opportunity to blend academic and sports because when you are exceptionally talented, most times there is the tendency to disconnect from school.

    “This course is providing opportunity for those players who wish to pursue formal education while being actively involved with soccer, to combine academic and their football career.

    ‘It is a programme for all those who want to have a career in sports,” Boroh said.

    He said the course provided opportunity for persons in camps to pursue their educational careers.

    Boroh, however, added that graduands from the programme would find jobs easily because football attracts attention.

    The coordinator described sports as one of the most important facets of Niger Delta culture and community, arguing that few activities could rally the emotions and fire up the regional spirit like sports.

    “This is why we want to give our beneficiaries the opportunity to experience sports and live better through sports, whether as a professional sportsperson, amateur player, spectator or volunteer, ” he said.

    He commended the facilitators of the programme in Africa, Alhaji Faruk Yabo, who also is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of To Be Connected Nigeria, an NGO, and the CEO of Sia-One Sports Academy and former Super Eagles’ National Coach, Samson Siasia.

    PAP office had stated  that  it would enroll 200 beneficiaries of its programme for all inclusive sports at the SIA’one Soccer Academy.

  • Ex-militants hail FG for ensuring peace in Niger Delta

    Ex-militants hail FG for ensuring peace in Niger Delta

    …Warn against clamour for Boroh’s removal

    Ex-militant leaders, drawn from nine states of the Niger Delta region, Friday, commended the Federal Government for ensuring sustained peace in the region.

    The ex-agitators said they were happy that the government took the right steps including increasing the budgetary allocation to the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) by N30bn to stop violent agitations in the region.

    They noted that the peace deal had resulted in government’s increased attention to the region and the training and employment of over 200 youths under the PAP.

    The ex-militants under the aegis of the Niger Delta Concerned Ex-agitators (NDCE),‎ in a statement issued in Yenagoa and signed by their Secretary, Perewari Johnson, asked all stakeholders to support the government.

    They also appealed to the people of the region to cooperate with the Coordinator of PAP, Brig. Gen. Paul Boroh (retd) to move the Niger Delta to the desired destination.

    They said: “We call for the peace in the region and we urge all stakeholders to support the Presidential amnesty programme under the leadership of Brig.-Gen.  Paul Boroh and the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government.

    “We have confidence in the ability of the coordinator of the amnesty programme as he has been very meticulous in implementing the programme for the benefit of all former agitators and the region at large in the past two years which has translated to lasting peace in the region.

    “Only in the month of June over 2000 former agitators from the region have commenced training in farming technology at the college of Agriculture at Iguoriakhi in Edo state and over 200 have been enrolled for an all-inclusive sports programme which will keep our youth gainfully engaged.

    “And also over 1,000 youth are currently undergoing various skill acquisition training programmes in Bayelsa State.”

    The ex-agitators further commended the Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo for signing the 2017 budget and urged him to do more for the region.

    ‎They, however, warned against alleged planned protest against the amnesty office by some sponsored ex-militants.

    “We condemn any form of protest that some persons are planning to embark upon against the Boroh-led Amnesty programme.

    “We urge all well-meaning stakeholders and citizens not to allow people with selfish interest to use them against their fellow Niger-Delta son who has done so well.

    “Anybody clamoring for the removal of Paul Boroh is an enemy of the development of  people in the region.

    “They are only antagonizing Boroh’s regime in the amnesty office because unlike his predecessors he has refused to succumb to their demand to award contract that will not be executed and to share monies made for the empowerment and human capacity development of the Niger Delta region.

    They call on security agencies to stop the planned protest in the interest of the peace in the region.

  • Ex-militants urge Osinbajo to wade into arrears of unpaid stipends 

    Ex-militants urge Osinbajo to wade into arrears of unpaid stipends 

    Niger Delta ex-militant leaders, Thursday, implored the Acting President Yemi Osinbajo to consolidate the Federal Government’s peace efforts in the region by resolving many months of their unpaid stipends.

    The ex-militant leaders under the Phase two Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) lamented that the Coordinator of the Programme, Gen. Paul Boroh (retd) had not paid them their stipends since January this year.

    Six of the phase two leaders, who spoke in Yenagoa, commended the peace initiatives of the government in the Niger Delta, but claimed that the activities of Boroh if not checked could truncate the existing peace in the region.

    They, however, mentioned one Major Bernard, who they said work in the office of Boroh, as a major obstacle to the coordinator’s desire to address their plight.

    Some of the leaders, who expressed their frustration, are Paul Ebibokefie, John Esuku, Joseph Alfred, Esau Amaebimo, Goddy Kaduna, Clement Wodo and Passman Golukumor.

    Ebibokefie, insisted that the amnesty office had failed to complement the efforts of Osinbajo to ensure peace in the Niger Delta.

    He said: “The Federal Government has not paid our stipends since January 1st, 2017. We are, therefore, calling on the appropriate body, the good people of Nigeria and President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to order retired Brigadier-General Paul Boro to pay us our stipends.

    “I can remember that the acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, came here two months ago saying he wanted peace in the Niger Delta on behalf of the Federal Government, and there has been peace since then.

    “But, unfortunately, we have not been paid our stipends for five months and we are begging the government to look into the issue. There is hunger in the society but peace in the region”.

    Also, Alfred, faulted Boroh’s management approach saying he had failed to convene regular meetings of leaders from different camps, like his predecessor, Mr. Kingsley Kuku, did quarterly, to discuss issues affecting the ex-militants.

    “We do not know the reason he is refusing to call for meetings. We know he normally hold meetings for others in Calabar and Abuja but not for the second phase leaders.

    “We are appealing to him to call the leaders for a meeting. We, therefore, appeal to the Federal Government to call him to order so it will not lead to an uproar”. He said.

    In his reaction, Amaebimo, alleged that while Buhari and the vice-President were doing their best ensure peace in the region, one Major Bernard was instigating Boroh to work in cross purposes with the government.

    He said of nothing urgent was done to address their problems, they would lock down Abuja in protest.

    “Major Bernard should leave that office because he is not from Niger Delta. Federal Government should go to the schools and confirm what the ex-militants are saying.

    “We have been enduring that Is why we have decided to come out so the public can hear. We are going to take action if Federal Government refused to act. We are coming to Abuja”, he said.

     

  • Ex-militants hail Buhari, score administration high

    Ex-militants hail Buhari, score administration high

    Some beneficiaries of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), have urged Niger Delta ex-agitators and youths to support President Muhammadu Buhari’s programmes and policies for the region, saying the president meant well.

    The ex-agitators, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja, said they would remain grateful to Buhari’s administration for empowering them in various skills.

    Mr Reuben Wilson, an ex-militant leader, said that PAP, under the leadership of Brig-Gen. Paul Boroh had engaged ex-agitators in various empowerment programmes and had also facilitated employment for some of them who graduated recently.

    According to Wilson, PAP has also assisted in rehabilitating more than 200 persons from his camp who have all shunned violence and embraced peace.

    He commended the Federal Government for initiating the programme which he said had empowered many youths in the region and scaled down crime rate.

    Mr Jerry Fiberesima, a native of Okrika, Rivers State, said the programme helped him become a better man after living a life of violence.

    Fiberesima said he is now a successful farmer with 28 persons from his community working under him and earning a living.

    “I now have a farm where I plant corn, plantain and other vegetables; and which is being managed by my 28 employees.”

    He urged those yet to be empowered to exercise patience as it would be their turn.

    Mr Emmanuel Onoyo-Akorhe, a fish farmer in Delta, said PAP had given them the opportunity to boost their fishing business and created a ladder out of poverty and food insecurity for the region.

    Mr Reuben Opuobori, who also owns a fish farm, said that the vocation had offered him and other ex-agitators a chance to make a difference by growing enough food to feed the nation.

    Opuobori said though there were many challenges, young people should be trained and encouraged to live on their own and contribute to making Nigeria self-sufficient and peaceful.

    “As we look to find solutions to feeding a world of nine billion people by 2050; it is this new generation that will work together to achieve that set goal,’’ he said.

    Uche Ogburia, from Elele, Rivers state, said poultry farming had become very lucrative due to the high demand for the products.

    “Little investment is required to start up the business and losses are minimal,” Ogburia said.

    He also encouraged those with the challenge of acquiring land for the business to consider family land as an option, so that gradually they would be able to acquire theirs when the business becomes lucrative.

     

     

  • FG to engage Niger Delta ex-agitators in sports activities

    The Coordinator Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Brig.-Gen. Paul Boroh, said engaging ex-agitators in sports activities would offer many opportunities that would develop their spirit of volunteerism and patriotism.

    Boroh disclosed this in Uyo on Sunday during a meeting with the SIA’one Soccer Academy to reintegrate some ex-agitators and youths in the Niger Delta region.

    He said sport is one of the most important facets of Niger Delta culture and community, arguing that few activities affect the emotions and develop sports in the region.

    “Sports is a language that everyone can understand.

    ” Sports is important for healthy living, personal development and social bonding. Sports is also a leisure activity that all can enjoy.

    “It keeps us physically fit, builds character, and bonds family and friends.

    “At its best, sports can bring people together, no matter what our race, background, or economic status.

    “This is why we want to give our beneficiaries the opportunity to experience sports and live better through sports, whether as a professional sportsperson, amateur player, spectator or volunteer, ” he said.

    He said when Nigerians do take part in sports, “we see more of them doing so individually, for example, jogging, swimming or going to the gym, rather than friends or family.”

    The Coordinator stressed the need to encourage a sporting lifestyle, not just for individuals, but also our communities.

    According to him, the programme has two broad strategies.

    “The first strategy is to enhance our public sports facilities in the Niger Delta region.

    “This is crucial to meeting the sporting and fitness needs of the region,” he said.
    Boroh said when youths chose basketball, Football and volleyball as a professional career, it never occurred to them that they would have impact on young people’s lives and earn living.

    The Coordinator said this initiative shows what the office hope to achieve through sports building on this experience, by engaging beneficiaries of the programme in different kinds of sporting activities.

    In his remark, the Coordinator of SIA’one, Mr Samson Siasia acknowledged that the Amnesty office under Boroh is coming out with such a brilliant initiative to engage the ex-agitators and youths of the region in sports.

    While commending the Coordinator for his interest in sports development in the region, Siasia also noted that it is only sports that can bail the region out of pipelines vandalism, if sizeable percentage of security votes are invested in the sector.

    “The youths are the future, hope and custodian of our tomorrow,” he said.
    Siasia said no wonder the Coordinator of PAP discovered this secret to success and decided to consider a worthy partner to invest in sports.
    Speaking on behalf of other beneficiaries, Mr Sunday Essien from Cross River thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for such initiative and promised not to defeat the aim of the policy.

    Essien said youths like them would no longer be exposed to vandalism and crime in the region and
pleaded for the Federal Government continuous supports.

  • Amnesty office screens 236 ex-agitators from Abia

    Amnesty office screens 236 ex-agitators from Abia

    The Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) has begun verification of 236 ex-agitators from Abia benefiting from the programme.

    The Coordinator of the Programme retired Brig.-Gen. Paul Boroh, gave the indication in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Abuja on Tuesday.

    This followed the recent pronouncement by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo that youths from Abia and Imo must be included.

    The vice president said their participation in the programme would help in reducing youth restiveness in the oil producing areas, adding that social and economic activities would be allowed to thrive.

    Boroh, who is also the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, said the 236 ex-agitators were earlier disarmed from 32 camps in the Niger Delta.

    He restated Federal Government’s commitment to the welfare of all beneficiaries captured under its programme.

    “The programme is as a result of empowerment and delegates are given starter packs for their businesses.

    “The office trains the ex-agitators at various vocational skill centres and educational institutions in Nigeria and abroad”, he said.

    According to him, the mandate of the office is actually to reintegrate the agitators after their training.

    “Some people could argue that getting jobs for them is part of reintegration. We have to look into that to see how we can get these persons properly reintegrated”, Boroh said.

    The presidential aide said more than 500 ex-agitators were trained and graduated in advanced agriculture at the BioResource Centre in Odi, Bayelsa State.

    “We will explore the opportunity provided by the Federal Government so that our delegates that had been trained can be gainfully employed’’, he said.

    The presidential aide said agriculture was the real sector that should be encouraged at all levels so that the country’s economy could depend less on oil.

    He stressed the need for the moribund industrial complexes in the region to be resuscitated so as to provide employment to the teeming youths, saying the major challenge in the region was unemployment.
    Boroh identified the Aluminium Smelting Company in Akwa Ibom State, the Aladja Steel in Delta State and the various ports as the industries that should be put back to use and provide employment for tens of thousands of youths in the Niger Delta.

    According to him, the importance of the programme lies in the sustenance of peace and enhancement of security in the region.

  • Release amnesty funds now, ex-militants warn finance ministry

    Former Niger Delta ex-militant leaders have accused the Ministry of Finance of starving the office of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) of funds.

    Rising from their meeting in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, at the weekend, the ex-freedom fighters said withholding funds for PAP was against the peace-building efforts of the Federal Government in Niger Delta region.

    The former creek warriors under the aegis of Leadership, Peace and Cultural Development Initiative (LPCDI) in a statement asked the finance ministry to immediately release PAP’s budgetary allocations to calm frayed nerves in the region.

    The President, LPCDI, Chief Reuben Wilson, said releasing the budget promptly would help the amnesty office to efficiently manage the programme to ensure lasting peace in the region.

    Wilson commended the ongoing tour of the region by the Acting President Yemi Osinbajo but warned that the modest achievements of the Presidency could be eroded by starving the amnesty office of funds.

    He further welcomed President Muhammdu Buhari back home after his well-deserved vacation and appealed to the Presidency to prevail on the finance ministry to treat the PAP with seriousness.

    Wilson said: “The delay in payments of stipends of beneficiaries of the Presidential Amnesty programme will greatly negate the current efforts of the Federal Government in enthroning peace in the region. The Presidential Amnesty Programme is a great contributor to the current peace prevailing in the region.

    “The group is greatly concerned about the current state of lack of funds in the amnesty office to carry out its programmes which are designed to permanently eradicate restiveness in the Niger Delta region for the betterment of the entire country.

    “As stakeholders who truly want the accelerated development of the Niger Delta, the delay could slow the ongoing peace process and we wouldn’t want such to happen.

    “Anyone, or group of persons that do not consider the importance of the Presidential Amnesty Programme in the peace building process of the region is an enemy of the Nation.

    “Such person, or group of persons do not also mean well for the administration of President Mohammadu Buhari, as the economic prosperity and development of the Nation still, largely, depends on the peace in the Niger Delta.

    “We are also deeply concerned over the poor funding of the Niger Delta scholarship students in the UK under the Federal Government amnesty programme.

    “The students from various universities in their final academic year have been stopped from academic services and are also being evacuated from their accommodation due to non-payment of their tuition fees and in-training allowances which have piled up to five months”.

    He said it would be a bad omen if the authorities sent the students back to Nigeria without completing their programmes.

    Wilson called on Nigerians and stalwarts of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to tell the ministry the importance of funding the PAP.

    Wilson added: “We are working tirelessly across the Niger Delta to enthrone peace so that the present administration will be able to achieve its policies and programmes for the betterment of Nigeria.

    “We are calling on all youths and stakeholders of the Niger Delta to give peace a chance because the development of the region can only happen in an environment of peace and tranquility.

    “We recognise the efforts of the Minister of Finance in the management of the economy, especially for the recent successes recorded in the foreign exchange sector where the Naira is redeeming its image as against other foreign currencies.

    “But we are also asking the Minister to use the same vigor and wisdom to facilitate the prompt release of funds meant for the amnesty office and treat same as priority to concretize the existing peaceful environment in the Niger Delta that has led to the increase in daily output in the petroleum industry”.