ABUJA — PRESIDENT Umaru Yar’Adua, yesterday, proclaimed an unconditional amnesty to all Niger Delta militants in the creeks as well as those facing prosecution in the law courts, including Henry Okah, standing a secret trial on a 62-count charge of treason, terrorism, illegal possession of firearms and arms trafficking and Government Ekpemupolo (Tompolo) and other militant leaders declared wanted by the Niger Delta security unit, Joint Task Force (JTF).

The President added that the Minister of Interior and Chairman of the panel on amnesty will release the details later today.

The amnesty offer was also ratified yesterday by the Council of State, and would take effect upon the surrender and handing over of all equipment, weapons, arms and ammunition in the possession of the militants, according to the President.

Centres are to be established in each state of the region for the execution of renunciation of Militancy Forms by the affected persons.

The President said the amnesty could only be effective if the militants were prepared to lay down their arms and therefore urged all those in hiding to take advantage of the proclamation and be re-integrated into the society.

His words, “the offer of amnesty is predicated on the willingness and readiness of the militants to give up all illegal arms in their possession, completely renounce militancy in all its ramifications unconditionally and depose to an undertaking to this effect.
“It is my fervent hope that all militants in the Niger Delta will take advantage of this amnesty and come out to join in the quest for the transformation of our dear nation.”

The President, however, gave an October 4, 2009, deadline for all those who want to enjoy the amnesty take advantage of government’s magnanimity.

The full proclamation:

Amnesty Proclamation

Pursuant to Section 175 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria

•Whereas the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria acknowledges that the challenges of the Niger Delta arose mainly from the inadequacies of previous attempts at meeting the yearnings and aspiration of the people, and have set in motion machinery for the sustainable development of the Niger Delta States;

Whereas certain elements of the Niger Delta populace have resorted to unlawful means of agitation for the development of the region including militancy thereby threatening peace, security, order and good governance and jeopardising the economy of the nation;

•Whereas the Government realises that many of the militants are able-bodied youths whose energies could be harnessed for the development of the Niger Delta and the nation at large;

•Whereas the Government desires that all persons who have directly or indirectly participated in militancy in the Niger Delta should return to respect constituted authority; and

•Whereas many persons who had so engaged in militancy now desire to apply for and obtain amnesty and pardon.

•Now therefore, I, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, after due consultation with the Council of State and in exercise of the powers conferred upon me by the provisions of Section 175 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, make the following proclamation:

•I hereby grant amnesty and unconditional pardon to all persons who have directly or indirectly participated in the commission of offences associated with militant activities in the Niger Delta;

•The pardon shall take effect upon the surrender and handing over of all equipment, weapons, arms and ammunition and execution of the renunciation of Militancy Forms specified in the schedule hereto, by the affected persons at the nearest collection centre established for the purpose of Government in each of the Niger Delta States;

•The unconditional pardon granted pursuant to this proclamation shall extend to all persons presently being prosecuted for offences associated with militant activities; and

•This proclamation shall cease to have effect from Sunday, 4th October 2009.

IBB, Buhari, Abdulsalami absent
The Council which comprises the president, Vice President and past heads of government, governors, former Chief Justices and the leadership of the National Assembly is the highest advisory body in Nigeria, according to the 1999 Constitution.

The council meeting which lasted over two hours was attended by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, retired General Yakubu Gowon, Alhaji Shehu Shagari and Chief Ernest Shonikan as well as 32 State Governors and three Deputy Governors from Ekiti, Rivers and Cross River States who were sighted around the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa.

However, three former Presidents, namely retired Generals Muhammadu Buhari, Ibrahim Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar were absent at the crucial meeting.

Briefing state House Correspondents after the meeting, Governors Timipre Sylva (Bayelsa); Ikedi Ohakim (Imo) and Modu Sheriff (Borno) disclosed that the approval followed exhaustive deliberations and commendation of Yar’Adua for adopting the approach.

Sylva further declared that genuine militants in the Niger Delta have expressed willingness to take up the amnesty offer and that after the offer elapses, government would consider any other violent agitator as a criminal.

Sylva commended the boldness of the initiative of the Federal Government aimed at tackling the crises in the region.

Pardon for coupists not on agenda
Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Michael Aondoakaa, who was also at the briefing, described the action as evidence of the Yar’Adua administration’s commitment to respecting human rights and resolving the problems of the Niger Delta.

Aondoakaa, also speaking on the amnesty said that Mr. President’s action is based on Section 175 of the constitution.

He also noted that the endorsement by the country’s highest advisory body “is to assure the international community and all Nigerians that we are prepared to follow the due process, we are prepared to respect the human right and follow the law in resolving this issue of Niger Delta.”

On the purported presidential pardon to be approved by the NCS for certain convicted military officers, Aondoakaa said such never featured at the Council meeting as it was not on the agenda.

“One other issue is that I was surprised to see on the pages on paper today that the Council will today give pardon to certain categories of military officers. That did not come before Council today; it was not part of the agenda today. It can be considered on a later date after due consultation with military authorities, then it can be presented to Council,” the country’s number one law officer said.

Back amnesty with law, IYC tells Reps
The Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) yesterday said that the best way of assuring amnesty for the proposed amnesty for militants in the Niger Delta is for the House of Representatives to provide it with legislative backing.

In a paper presented to the House of Reps ad-hoc committee on Niger Delta crisis chaired by Honourable Abdul, the Chairman Ijaw Youth Council committee on security and economic development, Felix Tuodolo, also said that the military action in the region has turned thousands of people into refugees in their own land paralysing economic activities and reducing the nation’s revenue from oil and gas.

“The glamour of amnesty is not the end of it”, he said.

“The proposed amnesty is alright, but it needs to be backed by law, to make it legal”, he said.

“I therefore plead with the House of Representatives to propose the right legislation and collaborate with the Senate to back up the amnesty with a law”, he said.

“This is one of the sure ways of having sustained peace in the region”, he said.

How the amnesty can work, by Ijaw Chief
The National Chairman, Host Communities of Nigeria Producing Oil & Gas, (HCNPOG), Chief Alfred Buhor yesterday gave a recipe on how the amnesty granted militants in the region by President Umaru Yar’Adua can succeed, saying that host communities should be given the responsibility of protecting oil installations.

Speaking during an interview in Vanguard office in Abuja, he opined that host communities should henceforth be held responsible for any attack on oil pipelines, flow stations and other oil and gas facilities in their domains.

Chief Buhor stressed further that, the amnesty package should be very clear on the role of community leaders in permanently addressing the menace of militants under which many unscrupulous elements have hidden to perpetuate criminality.

Nigerians animals in human skin will amnesty solve the sittuation well na sidon look be dis let see how it plays out

I just hope he is doing the right thing

This amnesty idea is another major folly that characterize the corrupt and poor- thinking Nigerian system. It is nothing more than the regular Nigerian maladministration of throwing money at problems, and if you are aware of the kind of money the militants were making, you will understand that no amount of money can buy those boys within this context.
It does not take a genius to understand the roots of the Niger Delta problems but the ruling elite who have ‘privatized’ the wealth of Nigeria refuses to face the truth. They want to eat their cake ans still have it. they want to continue ransacking the nations wealth, leaving millions of youths unemployed and uneducated without having to face the consequences of a national meltdown. When the people protest, their hope is to send in the armed forces to crush them. Now that the Nigerian military formations have been ignominiously defeated there, they are hoping to entice them with cash and buy over the consequences of years of injustice and cruelty to the Nigerian people.
Personally, I understand the dangers of a militarily compromised state. But nevertheless, I concede that, given our antecedents and the breakdown of trust between Nigerians and the government, I think it will be a greater loss to Nigerians if the militants are defeated. It will concentrate full power in the hands of the establishment. Already we no longer have any dignity and nearly no rights left. Only privileges. Our votes dont count and are not counted. Supreme Leaders dictate who run for elections and who win them. If we protest they send in their soldiers who open fire with live rounds. Nigerians have been too humiliated over the years and the sense of powerlessness has become so unbearable for a whole generation, a whole class of us. We live in the dishonor and humiliation of poverty. You can only advance in the society by associating with a corrupt political elite patron. It is their Nigeria, not ours. Such a Nigeria ought to be renegotiated by all means. By all means at all! The relative victory of the militants provides a kind of leverage with the establishment, some holy places of fear and even respect for the average Nigerian. At least, WE THE PEOPLE have a beachhead to cling to. And who knows the possibilities that we can launch from there!
I am saddened, as a normal human being that lives are being lost in this military engagements, but at a practical level, I am very delighted that the militants are able to shame the rude power of force and intimidation that has been used against the everyday Nigerian since independence to the present day. I am delighted that they have been able to hit the pride of the army and has forced them to come and negotiate. Why do you think the United States constitution allows for citizens to bear arms? So that the State will not oppress its citizens because of a monopoly of instruments of force. It is hardly the perfect thing to do, but in an imperfect world it is a good solution. That fosters an atmosphere of respect by evenly distributing the instruments of force and cohesion. Someone asks, why Europe is different and still successful. Europe and the United States dont have the same dreams and goals. The Americans want to go to the stars. Europe is satisfied with the sky. The goals of the American dream and vision can not be met by European regulations and concepts. That explains why the US economy is almost bigger than that of the entire EU and why their democracy is so superb as to throw up a minority and propel him into the Whitehouse. How many minorities are heading large corporations in Europe, not to talk of the likelihood of going into mainstream politics?
Nigerians should build on the relative success of the militants in the Niger Delta to seek a practical leverage from which to negotiate with the ruling elite on restructuring the nation for the good of all of us. the mirth of absolute power has been broken now. We should not proceed to the practical implications of using it to seek a leverage with Abuja. It is auspicious that the crises has a direct economic implications for the country. If they are broke and are counting their pennies, they can hardly be corrupt. They can hardly be more mischievous and devious with the people. At least they don’t have that level of leadership, coordination and self sacrifice among themselves. The full implication of the situation and the developments that may follow are sketchy, but if there is any soul-searching anywhere, the government should resolve and put structures in place that ensures that the nations wealth is evenly distributed and that the majority of Nigerians, especially the people of the Niger Delta regions profit from the oil wealth. Why leave the upstream and downstream sectors only to big entities who talk in nine figures? Create a room for mid class people the dominate the region to be able to participate in the oil business. They have been messengers and onlookers for too long. Fifty billion naira is nothing compared with an atmosphere of liberty to prospect, dream and prosper and put ones creativity into full use.

The more you look the less you see.

I sincerely hope okah turns a new leaf. . .

Naija!!!!!!!!!!!!

The same pen and paper used to sign an amnesty deal
was used to sign the Niger Delta ministry into existence
and also the Power probe panel, and their report
and also the Niger Delta 60 man chop chop panel report in abuja
and also the 2nd Niger bridge
and also the Benin Ore road contract

And so, amnesty is extended to freedom fighters
but not to the soldiers jailed for life for demonstrating peacefully over their witheld UN peacekeeping allowance

Story Story,?, stoory!