Ex-militant leaders from the nine states of the Niger Delta region have written a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari, alerting him of issues in the region, particularly the amnesty deal. In the letter sent to the president on July 9, Thursday, copies of which were made available to newsmen in Yenagoa, the ex- militant leaders alerted the president to the growing suffering and disgraceful plight of Amnesty beneficiaries in Europe, America and South Africa, Leadership reports. The concerned leaders led by one of the frontline ex-militia leaders in Bayelsa state, Pastor Reuben Wilson, popularly known along the Creeks and waterways as General Pastor, said, the alert sent to the president was to draw his attention on the urgent need to address the issues in the region within the Presidential Amnesty office. They alleged that some aggrieved youths are threatening the existing peace accord over the delay by the federal government in the payment of allowances and tuition fees to beneficiaries of the Amnesty deal within and outside the country. “ The worst part of their situation is the unpredictability of when their nightmare will end while hunger and deprivation has put them in a very bad state of mind. “Your Excellency, you will recall that this programme had within the last few years brought relative stability to our region and by extension this country. “This we owe to the late President Yar’Adua who in his wisdom proclaimed Amnesty for ex- agitators and drew a plan of action towards ensuring lasting peace in the region through various training programmes ,” the letter read. According to the ex-militant leaders, series of complaints and prayers have been sent to President Buhari on the matter but no response and reports show that the delay in the payment is throwing up security issues and dangerous disenchantment among the ex- militant youths. The Amnesty programme was started by the late President Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. This led to the creation of the Presidential Amnesty Office (PAO) based within the Aso Rock Presidential Villa. This initiative came against the background of tenuous security conditions and instability which characterized the region. The various militant groups had intensively engaged in series of kidnapping and abduction of prominent citizens of the region, government officials and workers in the oil and gas sector. Report had surfaced in 2013 that the federal government was planning to terminate the amnesty programme by 2015. An ex-militant leader Ramsey Oyakemeagbegha had earlier called on the federal government to sustain the amnesty programme beyond 2015, stressing that it would enable government address the challenges and neglects that necessitated the amnesty.
Sources: Leadership, Naij.com news

V

ok

they should start disturbing the dullard joor. baba one chance.

I just dey laugh

Baba will address the issue

They should go and work like every other industrious Nigerian. I thought they have been rehabilitated and trained in different vocational skills. It's a shame people just wanna sit down and collect money just because they cab carry ammunition and threaten the lives of other Nigerians.

nosiebaba:
They should go and work like every other industrious Nigerian. I thought they have been rehabilitated and trained in different vocational skills. It's a shame people just wanna sit down and collect money just because they cab carry ammunition and threaten the lives of other Nigerians.

abi nw if dey continue with d amnesty of a tin anoda group will soon rise up, cause problems and demand amnesty in return,
sum ppl dey work to meet dia daily needs while some ppl dey slip and money dey enta dia account

FowlYansh:
V

. Hmmmm, hmmmmm i saw it coming, buhari should not jus forget or take niger delta for granted ooo, guys ask they will give u the score line.

Buharia

Is there any need for this situation? Why is buhari baying for blood?? The WHOLE oil money that runs this unfair country is gotten from these oil communities that have been neglected while Abuja and Lagos is biult up with their funds. These guys took up arms to fight well documented injustices against their communities. A lot of kidnappings. A lot of killings . A lot of reveneu loss. It took years of concerted efforts by both Yaradua and Jonathan to talk them out of the creeks in a 'carrot and stick' operation that was relatively successfull. . Most of these militants have now renounced war and violence, embraced peace and have travelled to all the nooks and crannies of this world to imbibe new skills and knowledge to better their circumstances. All these through a sponsorship programme that has drawn accolades and commendations worldwide.

Now we are going to watch this hard earned peace frittered away by one sardonic president angry that such measures were not extended to his Sambissa dwelling brethrens. You and i know that if he is not stopped, this won't end well. The militants will go back to blowing up the pipelines, earnings will drop, states will struggle to pay salaries and most dangerously, the army will be stretched. An army that cant contain boko haram, will now have to deal with a drammatically resurgent insurgency in the creeks, leading to deaths, bloodshed and wanton destructions. . All these carnage because daurra best son is battling with an oversized ego. . If he can fork out millions of dollars for boko haram victims without hesitations, why starving peacefull ex militants the funds they need for their education? Is this not vindictiveness taken too far??

But for how long will they keep on depending on amnesty. their governors failed dem,dey shd deal with dat.

U beg for your rights?? You are all cowards....

I pity some tribes shaa, as Greece matter go fair pass their own.

The FG should officially end this "Amnesty Nonsense" and work towards the implementation of fiscal federalism.

Government can't keep paying people money forever to keep them quiet. That is blackmail

These ijaw boys never jam! Dem no sabi say naija army and dia coalition dey find plenty people 2 kill! Better address those letters 2 NDDC or ebele or orubebe! Lol!

Even if they are worthy of the amnesty, must it be overseas?
Are there no good Universities in Nigeria? Why are we always causing ourselves agony and pain? A Lot of youths are in this country facing more than this. Should the govt decided to send everybody abroad, where will the money come from? Let's be considerate at times.
The amnesty shouldn't be abolished but should be reasonable.

sayyid:

“Your Excellency, you will recall that this programme had within the last few years brought relative stability to our region and by extension this country.

Does the relative stability also includes losses due to crude oil theft estimated at 400,000 per day ?

Maxymilliano:


Does the relative stability also includes losses due to crude oil theft estimated at 400,000 per day ?

bt @ least it is reduced

barcanista:
The FG should officially end this "Amnesty Nonsense" and work towards the implementation of fiscal federalism.

Some people are on a schorlarship in foreign lands. Even if the programme is to be stopped, the scholarships should run their full course. Stoping the programme midway is counter productive especially when we have some other Nigrians from non oil producing areas on federal government scholarships. Providing the citizens with the basic skills to be positively competitive in life is a core aspect of a responsible governments duty! It is a right, Mr barcanista, NOT a priviledge. . This programme should not be stopped abruptly, doing so will be counter productive. The millions you will spend, buying arms, training man power, and paying them, just to maintain peace in some restive/jumpy oil producing areas, will definitely outweigh whatever you will spend training these young ones to be gainfully employed..

PedroJP:
I pity some tribes shaa, as Greece matter go fair pass their own.

hope u ibos will b d first to start blowin up oil pipe line in d south east