•••SAYS MOVE TO TERMINATE PAP ILL-ADVISED
The Pan Niger Delta Forum has warned President Muhammadu Buhari against plans to terminate the Presidential Amnesty Programme before the end of his administration.
The foremost Niger Delta group described as ill-advised the plan to hurriedly terminate the programme by the Buhari administration which has a few months to go.
PANDEF warned that it is illogical and unacceptable for the Federal Government to terminate the Amnesty Programme because of a pipeline surveillance contract awarded to a private firm.
PANDEF warned in a communique issued at the end of its extraordinary meeting in Abuja on Friday that any attempt to prematurely end the programme would be injurious to the prevailing peace and stability of the Niger Delta.
The group averred that bringing Amnesty Programme which was an intervention agency deliberately put in place to promote peace stability in the Niger Delta will be counter productive.
Rather, the Niger Delta leaders, elders and stakeholders advised that the programme should be managed to tackle the full re-integration of all beneficiaries.
The communique was signed by the National leader of the group, Chief (Dr.) Edwin Kiagbodo Clark, Senator Emmanuel Ibok Essien, National Chairman, Senator Bassey Ewa Henshaw, Member of the BOT,
Dame Betty Igbeyi, National Woman leader, Chief Denzil Amagbe Kentebe, Member, Advisory Council, and Ken Robinson, National Publicity Secretary.
The communique reads in part, “PANDEF cautions the Federal Government against any ill-advised plan to terminate the Presidential Amnesty Programme given the rumours that the government is scheduling to wind up the programme before the end of the Buhari administration;
“The meeting further warns that considerations that the Presidential Amnesty programme could be scrapped due to a pipeline Surveillance contract awarded to a private firm, are not only illogical but unacceptable;
“Notes that the Amnesty Programme was an intervention to promote peace and stability in the Niger Delta; thus, any attempt to prematurely end the programme would be detrimental to the peace and stability of the Niger Delta;
“Going forward, the Amnesty Programme should be extended to include the full re-integration of all beneficiaries.”
There are widespread speculations that the Federal Government plans to end the Amnesty Programme due to paucity of funds and the fact that the programme designed to end after some years has lingered.
This has culminated in an eerie silence in the region as it has thrown up a number of issues issues awaiting clarifications.
