No N29bn provision to fight militancy in 2017 Budget

The Ministry of Budget and National Planning has dismissed as erroneous a news story that the Federal Government has earmarked the sum N29 billion in the 2017 budget to fight insurgency.

A statement by Akpandem James, Media Adviser to the Hon. Minister, insists that there “is no such provision in the 2017 Budget Proposals presented by the President,” but that instead, “amongst other projects earmarked for the Niger Delta, the sum of N65 billion has been provided in the 2017 Budget proposals for the re-integration of transformed ex-militants under the Presidential Amnesty Programme,” since “the focus of President Buhari’s government in 2017 will be to ‘continue to pursue peace initiatives in the Niger Delta’ through dialogue and engagement.”

Full text of the statement reads:

The attention of the Ministry of Budget and National Planning has been drawn to a story in the Monday, January 2, 2017 edition of Thisday newspaper, with the headline PANDEF expresses displeasure over N29b budgeted to fight militancy in 2017.

The story, which quotes a statement reportedly issued Saturday night and signed by a member of the Central Working Committee of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Dr. Alfred Mulade, gave the impression that the Federal Government has earmarked the sum of N29 billion in the 2017 budget, specifically to fight militancy in the Niger Delta. The story is erroneous.

The relevant section of Dr Mulade’s purported statement did not even indicate that the speculated provision was contained in the 2017 Budget. Instead, it stated: “To make matters worse, the government is reported to have earmarked a whooping N29 billion of oil revenue to fight militancy in the Niger Delta region.”

It must be clearly stated that there is no such provision in the 2017 Budget Proposals presented by the President, so we have absolutely no idea where this story is coming from.

Indeed, the President has consistently and categorically stated that the focus of his Administration in 2017 will be to ‘continue to pursue peace initiatives in the Niger Delta’ through dialogue and engagement. It is for this reason that, amongst other projects earmarked for the Niger Delta, the sum of N65 billion has been provided in the 2017 Budget proposals for the re-integration of transformed ex-militants under the Presidential Amnesty Programme.