JUST IN: FG Starts Process To Shut Down Presidential Amnesty Programme

By December 31, 2022, the Federal Government will have effectively ended the Presidential Amnesty Program.

It was revealed that the government has already appointed an audit firm with a mission to embark on a complete audit of the initiative from inception till date,

A source who spoke anonymously stated the new Interim Administrator of the PAP, Maj Gen Barry Ndiomu, (rtd) had made it clear to the staff during a meeting in September that his mandate is to wind up the project in six months.

Findings showed that the two offices of the program in Abuja have a fearful and uneasy atmosphere since the meeting.

It was discovered that the Amnesty Office has stopped giving out new scholarships to students from impacted communities in accordance with the presidential order to shut down the PAP.

Additionally, it was discovered that the office’s operations had been substantially scaled back, resulting in the immediate suspension of contracts for new training initiatives.

According to a source, the Presidency has already given the new Amnesty office leadership deadlines for wrapping up the program in accordance with the allotted time.

The dates for the different tasks required to end the program were laid out in a paper with the title “Winding Down the Presidential Amnesty Programme” that was purportedly in the possession of PAP unit commanders.

The document’s terms of request were as follows: “a. Ensure the immediate stoppage of all contract award processes.

By October 31, 2022, “b. Identify and profile beneficiaries of the Presidential Amnesty Programme from conception.”

“c. Hire a respected auditing firm with roots in the Niger Delta to carry out and complete by November 30, 2022, an audit of all PAP-run programs to determine:

“I. Total number and types of programs carried out.
II. The overall budget for the program and each program component.
III. Total number of ejected agitators trained, with details on their programs.
IV. The quantity and kind of pending eligible beneficiaries.
Ex-agitators who are still enrolled in training programs.
VI. The total number of leaders and stipend recipients. Debt profile, item 7. d. By December 31, 2022, propose a method for paying off any outstanding debts. By December 31, 2022, all movable and immovable property must be inventoried and listed. “f. Launch a comprehensive consultation/engagement of critical stakeholders and public education on the necessity of winding down the PAP between November 1 and November 30, 2022.”

It was also made known that the Presidency is uneasy about the fact that the Amnesty Office, which the Yar’Adua Administration established with 30,000 former agitators, continues to operate with that number despite the fact that billions of Naira have been spent on training and reintegration initiatives.

Therefore, the Presidency believes that the position, which was intended to cease in 2015, has turned into a drain on government resources and has ordered that it be abolished under the Buhari administration.

You may recall that the Pan Niger Delta Forum on Saturday urged President Muhammadu Buhari not to end the Presidential Amnesty Programme before the end of his term in office.

The main Niger Delta organization criticized the Buhari administration’s hasty decision to end the program with only a few months left as being ill-advised.

PANDEF cautioned that the Federal Government’s decision to end the Amnesty Programme because of a pipeline surveillance contract given to a private company is unreasonable and inappropriate.

PANDEF warned that any attempt to prematurely halt the program would be harmful to the current peace and stability of the Niger Delta in a declaration released at the conclusion of its extraordinary meeting in Abuja.

The group asserted that it would be counterproductive to bring in the Amnesty Programme, an interventionist organization that was specifically established to foster peace and stabi

Heads of PAP From Inception

Through the years, the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) has had different heads 
leading the administration of the programme, contributing significantly to its impact.

2018

PROF. CHARLES DOKUBO

SPECIAL ADVISER TO THE PRESIDENT ON NIGER DELTA AND COORDINATOR, PRESIDENTIAL AMNESTY PROGRAMME Born in Abonnema, Akuku Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State, Prof. Charles Quaker Dokubo, an erudite professor of international repute, is not a stranger to the Niger Delta debacle. With a first degree in Modern History & Politics from the University of Teesside, Middleborough; a Masters in Peace Studies, University of Bradford, and a doctorate in Nuclear Weapon Proliferation and Control, he has a thorough grasp of the Niger Delta situation. He is deeply-rooted and experienced for the office, setting out from the top-flight Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) Lagos, where he was a Research Professor.He was appointed on March 13, 2018 by President Muhammadu Buhari, as the Special Adviser to The President on Niger Delta And Coordinator, Presidential Amnesty Programme. His appointment has inspired millions of Niger Deltans with hope of brighter prospects for the Presidential Amnesty Programme. He has kept that hope alive.

2015: GEN. PT BOROH (rtd)

SPECIAL ADVISER TO THE PRESIDENT ON NIGER DELTA AFFAIRS AND COORDINATOR, PRESIDENTIAL AMNESTY PROGRAMME Brig Gen P.T. Boroh (Rtd) was born in Lagos State on July 17, 1958. He is fromSagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. In July 2015, he was appointed as the Special Adviser to The President on Niger Delta Affairs and Coordinator, Presidential Amnesty Programme by President Muhammadu Buhari. His tenure ended in March 2018.

2011: HON. KINGSLEY KEMEBRADIGHA KUKU

SPECIAL ADVISER TO THE PRESIDENT ON NIGER DELTA AFFAIRS AND CHAIRMAN OF THE PRESIDENTIAL AMNESTY OFFICE Kingsley Kuku (born 14 February 1970) is a Nigerian political and environmental rights activist and hails from Arogbo, Ondo State. He actively participated in the Ijaw Youth Council, and was elected Member, Ondo State House of Assembly, where he was Chairman of the House Committee on Information for four years. He was at various times Special Assistant and Head of Conflict Management Unit at the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC); a member, Presidential Committee on Amnesty; and Secretary, Presidential Committee on Peace and Conflict Resolution in the Niger Delta. In January 2011, he was appointed Special Adviser to the President on the Niger Delta and Chairman, Presidential Amnesty Programme. His tenure ended in 2015.

2011: TIMI ALAIBE

SPECIAL ADVISER TO THE PRESIDENT ON NIGER DELTA Timi Alaibe is a Nigerian technocrat, businessman and politician. An indigene of Bayelsa State, Alaibe was born on June 10, 1962. He was a former Managing Director, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) prior to his appointment as Special Adviser to The President on Niger Delta.

2009: Air Vice Marshal Lucky Ochuko Ararile

Pioneer Coordinator of the Amnesty Programme. He retired from Airforce in the year 2010. He was the first Coordinator of the Amnesty Programme inaugurated by the President on the 25th of June 2009.

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