Odahiekwu Ogunde
Niger Delta stakeholders, under the auspices of Niger Delta Restoration Alliance, have asked President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately appoint a substantive Coordinator for the region’s Presidential Amnesty Programme.
The coalition, therefore, urged him to immediately replace the five-man investigative panel set up by his National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno (retd.).
The group noted that the appointment of a substantive coordinator from the region would put an end to the growing tension and restlessness currently taking place in the creeks of the region.
Monguno had set up a five-man investigative committee over the alleged corrupt practices against the former Amnesty Coordinator, Prof. Charles Dokubo.
The coalition also urged the President to match the promises made during the June 12 national broadcast on the sustenance of the existing peace and stability in the region by appointing a substantive coordinator.
A statement on Monday by spokesman for NDRA, Dr Biewari Apulu, noted that the delayed appointment of a coordinator was noticeably evident in the tension and restlessness along the creeks and rivers in the region.
The statement read in part, “President Muhammadu Buhari should immediately replace the five-man investigative committee set up by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno (retd.) with the appointment of a substantive coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme.
“The appointment of a substansive coordinator will ensure the immediate commencement of the delayed vocational training for real beneficiaries of the Amnesty Programme in preparation for emerging job opportunities.
“The substantive coordinator will immediately commence the empowerment programmes for real beneficiaries to become self-employed entrepreneurs and save many beneficiaries from the looming recession occasioned by the ongoing COVID-19 and drop in crude oil prices.”
While commending President Buhari over the Amnesty Programme, which the group noted had successfully maintained the peace and stability in the Niger Delta, it warned of dire consequences in the region and the nation’s economy if the programme was not sustained.