Ex-militants Reject December Deadline To End Amnesty
Ex-militants Reject
December Deadline To End
Amnesty
Following the inaugural speech delivered
by the newly sworn-in President of the
country, Muhammadu Buhari, ex-militants
under the aegis of Third Phase Amnesty
programme has rejected the December
deadline to end amnesty.
This was contained in a statement signed
by the National Secretary of the group,
Comrade Tam Odogwu, who described the
statement as shocking and surprising and
said the programme has contributed
immensely to the relative peace and
stability in the Niger Delta region,
whereby has boost the production and
exportation of crude oil.
He said: “The Niger Delta ex-agitators
under the Third Phase Amnesty
programme congratulate President
Muhammadu Buhari for his smooth and
peaceful swearing-in ceremony at Abuja.
“Indeed, it was victory for Nigerians and
Nigeria in the comity of nations. The
nation will ever remain grateful for the
sacrifice and love by former President
Goodluck Jonathan for this nation to
remain peacefully and indivisible.
“Nevertheless, we express shock over the
statement made by President
Muhammadu Buhari in his inaugural
speech as regards to the Niger Delta. We
want to unequivocally state here that we
reject the deadline of terminating amnesty
programme by December 2015.
“We the Niger Delta ex-agitators and
youths are very ready to support Buhari’s
administration but will not support the
plan to end the amnesty programme and
will resist any attempt to do so because it
will mean another round of injustice.”
Odogwu made it clear that the statement
made by President Buhari was not in the
interest of the people of the region.
“We want to also state that it is not in
the best interest of the Niger Delta region
because it was not a decision from the
people of the region, and any attempt to
carry on with this declaration of ending
the amnesty programme in December will
fan the embers of restiveness that has
abated.
“Even though Mr. President has other
plans to consolidate on the successes
recorded by the programme initiated by
Yar’ adua and continued by Former
President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, which
he promised to invest heavily in the
projects and programmes currently in
place, this move will make this promise
not attractive to the people,” he said.
He also pointed out that the amnesty
programme was still having numerous
programmes whose completion will not be
completed even in December, therefore
urged the President to have a rethink on
his earlier declaration.
“We want to inform our president that the
programme still has numerous students in
various universities in Nigeria and abroad.
And some of these students will graduate
in the next three years to come. The
programme still have more than 9, 000
people who are yet to be admitted in
various schools and different vocational
trainings.
“There is no way over 9, 000 who are
waiting for their various admission and
vocational trainings and those already in
various schools and training centres can
miraculously complete their schooling and
trainings within this year or the next two
years.
“We urge and challenge President
Mohammadu Buhari to execute more
developmental and empowerment
programmes for the Niger Deltans
because they have the goose that lays.
Leadership
the golden egg and not to end this
existing and functional programme that
has yielded peculiar result and
overwhelming progress,” he adde
Newsweb Express
