Buhari will not scrap Amnesty Programme; as project is crucial to his administration — Boroh
NEDU MARK, Yenagoa
Coordinator, Presidential Amnesty Programme, Brigadier Gen Paul Boroh (rtd), has dispelled speculations that President Muhammadu Buhari would stop funding the Niger Delta Amnesty Programme inherited from the last administration for repented ex-agitators in 2015, describing such reports as ‘false’, even as he gave government’s assurance to continue funding the programme beyond 2015.
Gen. Boroh who stated this in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state, during a meeting organized by the Niger Delta Youth Leaders Assembly, Monday, also used the platform to canvass support for President Buhari’s administration, maintaining that ‘Buhari will not and will never end the funding of the amnesty programme, as the project is crucial to his administration.’
Represented by his Special Adviser, Sergeant Weri Digifa, the Programme Coordinator urged the ex agitators to ensure peace and unity and ‘shun any atom of unwanted violence in the region.’
“The Niger Delta Amnesty Programme will not end in 2015, but will be funded beyond 2015,” Boroh said.
Boroh who insisted that President Buhari appointed him to coordinate the affairs of the office for a period of four years and to end of 2015, urged the people of the region to support the office of the Coordinator to thrive, rather than heat up activities of the Office with unfounded rumours.
Speaking at the event, Commissioner for Culture and Ijaw Affairs, Felix Tudolor appealed to President Buhari to review the proposed N20 billion budgeted for the Niger Delta Amnesty Programme for repented ex agitators.
Tudolor urged Buhari to increase the N65, 000 monthly stipends to ex agitators and ensure the funding of tuition to Niger Delta students abroad.
Earlier, President, Niger Delta Youth Leaders Assembly, Ambassador Kennedy Tonjo West had described the Niger Delta people as ‘an endangered species in the President Buhari-led government.’
He said the people of the region are unsafe and insecure in the country called Nigeria, even as the region contributes over 80% of the national resources.
“We are unsafe and insecure in President Buhari’s government; there are a lot of threats to the lives of our people. The people of Niger Delta region are suffering in the midst of plenty crude oil, our people are in total hardship.
“From 2009 till today, there has never been any development in the region called Niger Delta both by present and past government.”
He, however, urged the people to unite so as to re-write the history of the land.
