There was widespread anxiety about the fate of the Amnesty programme for former militants of the Niger Delta when Muhammadu Buhari emerged as the President of Nigeria. Given the dynamics of the election, and the fact that the programme was established by the former People’s Democratic Party (PDP) federal government under late President Umar Musa Yar’ Adua and sustained by the regime of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, people were not sure what Buhari would do with it.
Happily, the new president made an undertaking that put the fears of stakeholders to rest during his inaugural speech, when he declared that though the Amnesty Programme would end in December this year, his government would “invest heavily in the projects and programmes currently in place”.
There are, however, worrying signs that the beneficiaries of the programme are beginning to suffer. Reports say that no fewer than thirteen beneficiaries of the programme being trained as commercial pilots in Germany at the Lufthansa Flight Training School, Frankfurt, have been sent away for non-payment of their fees for accommodation and logistics. Two of them are said to have only one test remaining before they graduate. Another six pilots have graduated but their certificates were withheld due to outstanding fees.
It would appear that the main issue is the delay in appointing new officials to continue running the affairs of the Post Amnesty Programme (PAP). It was ascertained that there is sufficient fund in the agency’s account with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
This is just an indicator that the delay in fully constituting the organs of the federal government by President Buhari is hurting the system.
We find it incredulous that because new political heads have not been appointed, some programmes of the federal government are allowed to stagnate. The normal thing is for the most senior bureaucrat to hold the forte until the political heads are re-appointed, to enable governance to run smoothly.
We urge the Presidency to respond with dispatch to the distress call from the beneficiaries of the PAP and allow those currently undergoing the programme to complete their courses in order to achieve the original set objectives of the programme.
Even if the programme will be closed down in December this year, those already involved in the training activities must be allowed to graduate and assisted to settle down.
The Amnesty programme has been beneficial to the economic and social well-being of the country. We should honour our commitments to it and give its beneficiaries a continued sense of belonging.
Vanguard.
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