A socio-economic Rights group, the Niger Delta Civil Action Advocacy Group has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a matter of urgency to reposition the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) with the right leadership at its helm of affairs for effective service delivery on the mandate for which the interventionist Agency was established in 2009.
President of the group Comrade Embale Jonathan who made the call in Abuja during a media chat while reacting to growing agitation amongst various groups in the region, stated that until the right leadership is provided, the Presidential Amnesty Programme will continue to be at a cross-road.
According to the group, “we are shocked that maladministration due to bad leadership and lack of touch with the aims and objectives have marred the programme from successfully meeting its mandate to engage the youths of the region effectively.
The youths had shifted attention to illegal refining activities as a means to engage themselves until the Federal government declared zero tolerance on illegal bunkering activities. With the government position on illegal refining, the youth are left with nothing else to depend upon, which has now created a vacuum, thereby giving room for potential trigger of restiveness in the region, especially given the growing agitations by some youth groups”, Jonathan stated.
While calling on leaders of the region to step up commitment and task President Tinubu to ensure that only persons with good grasp of the problems of the region, visionary and with administrative competence to deliver are appointed to manage the affairs of the Programme. Jonathan noted that the good intent of the Federal government for establishing the programme has been marred by maladministration of successive administrations, especially the last one year of the programme has experienced colossal failure due to distractions, absence of meaningful projects, an overwhelming lack to of confidence by the people of the region, widespread outcry on the refusal to pay beneficiaries, lack of strategically impactful programmes in the region and the disconnect of the people from the policy direction of the administration.
The group also said, “excluding relevant stakeholders, such as community leaders and civil society organizations, from decision-making processes is worrisome” because, according to the group, “lack of inclusivity limits the effectiveness and sustainability of the program’s initiatives, as local perspectives and expertise are ignored”.
The group is therefore calling on President Tinubu to urgently intervene with a view to ensuring that only the right leadership with competence and who not only appreciates the plights of the region, but one who truly understands the good intent of the Federal government in establishing the programme were appointed to manage the affairs of the Agency.
This will guarantee optimal and efficient utilization of resources to deliver on the mandates of the Programme. The group said President Tinubu should listen to the yearnings of the region, saying that, “when a child is crying and point his hand to a particular direction, it implies that there is problem there”, the group stated.
They therefore emphasized that, repositioning the programme to meeting its objectives will maintain the relative peace in the region considering the need of the present administration to sustain peace in the region to boost oil production in order to address the economic challenges faced by the country.
