Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Professor Charles Dokubo, has explained why President Muhammadu Buhari is committed to the amnesty programme in the region.
Prof. Dokubo said the president sees PAP as a veritable tool to transform the Niger Delta.
Dokubo’s Special Adviser (Media),Murphy Ganagana, in a statement, yesterday, stated that the presidential aide spoke at the weekend, in Abuja, at a commemorative rally to mark the struggle for the emancipation of the Niger Delta, which was spearheaded by the late Major Isaac Boro.
He described the amnesty programme as a direct reflection of the desires of Boro, for the people of the Niger Delta.
Said Dokubo: “We are here because of a journey he started some years ago. What we do here is to symbolise the aspiration and the ambition of Boro. Amnesty is a direct reflection of his desires for the Niger Delta people.
“The Federal Government of Nigeria, under late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, took up the issue of amnesty, not because it was a difficult task, but because it was a necessary task and that is why this government is so committed to the amnesty programme.
“ I have been around for just a year plus, and, I have seen the desire of this government to make sure amnesty survives and that the people of the Niger Delta should benefit immensely from the programme that we run at the Amnesty office.
“It’s like some of us don’t even know the avenues that are open to us. If we can explore, exploit and make use of the available opportunities, Niger Delta would be a different place. After assuming office, I tried to open the doors of my office to every Niger Delta person; I did that because I know it is necessary and, also, because I realised that we need equality of all Niger Delta people.
“There is no Niger Delta person that has come to my office and had gone back displeased.
“What I want to do is to de-emphasise dependence on N65, 000 monthly stipends by beneficiaries of the amnesty programme, so that Niger Delta people can work, earn and also enjoy themselves. If you earn what you are entitled to have, there will be a trickle effect; you have to pay your children’s school fees, you have to pay your rent, you have to take care of your family and do all the things that are required of a family man.
“Niger Deltans should also be emancipated through the amnesty programme, in the sense that you can work anywhere. You will know that you are a very resilient people…”