There have been calls for the reinstatement of the seven thousand delisted beneficiaries of the Presidential Amnesty Program as some ex-agitators protest against their exclusion from the program.
It has been just days since the declaration of the massive fraud uncovered within the Presidential Amnesty Program by new interim Administrator Maj. Gen. Barry Ndiomu (retd).
But some ex-agitators have come out in their numbers to barricade various sections of the East-West Road in protest against the delisting of over Seven Thousand beneficiaries from the program.
The protesters are demanding their re-enlistment as they accuse the new interim administrator of not following due process or intimating them the reasons for the development.
After hours of the barricade, the protesters are prevailed upon by the former President of the Ijaw Youth Council to give way for proper negotiations.
Although the issue remains unresolved, the need to maintain peace within the oil-rich Niger Delta region can not be overemphasized.
The Presidential Amnesty Programme office has in its reaction said most of the issues raised by the protesters are not true but will be investigated.
Speaking on behalf of the committee, The Chairman, Nature Dumale, says rumors of the de-enlistments are false as the body only seeks to validate genuine beneficiaries of the program.
The ex-agitators are also urged to embrace peaceful negotiations rather than block major transportation routes across the Oil-rich region.
Highlighting some of the achievements recorded by the new Interim administrator, the committee also assures the public of more programs aligned for the benefit of the Niger Delta people.
The Presidential Amnesty Programme was introduced by former President Uma Yar’dua to bring the Niger Delta militancy to an end and it was designed to also re-orientate militants and train them to rejoin Society.
The programme has been on for well over a decade with thousands of former agitators trained both within and outside Nigeria.
