Presidential Amnesty Programme Needs Budget Increase for Regional Stability, Says Ijaw Youth Council

Ijaw youths under the auspices of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) have called on the Federal Government to approve more funds for the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) to enable it perform optimally for sustainable peace of the Niger Delta.

The IYC President, Jonathan Lokpobiri, made the comment while speaking with journalists shortly after he led a delegation of the council on a courtesy visit to the Administrator of PAP, Dr Dennis Otuaro in Abuja.

A statement signed by the spokesperson for the IYC, Princewill Binebai and made available to newsmen on Wednesday, quoted Lokpobiri as stating that the scope of the PAP was expanding and should no longer be run with its current budget which had remained the same for many years.

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The umbrella body of ijaw youths noted that the Programme still had a lot to do to ensure continued stabilisation of the region.

The group also argued that the present economic realities in Nigeria and emerging challenges in the region have made it even more compelling for more funds to be appropriated for the Programme.

The council said it discovered after a careful assessment of the Programme that the Dollar was exchanging for N120 when the PAP started, adding that there were sufficient justifiable reasons for the government to consider strengthening the programme with additional funds.

The Ijaw youths appealed to President Bola Tinubu and the Ministers of Budget and Finance as well as the leadership of the National Assembly to see the need to make more funds available for programme.

The statement read in part, “As Ijaw Youth Council, we have done a careful assessment of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) and the massive achievements that the programme has recorded over the years.

“However, our assessment showed that the Programme can no longer run effectively with its current budget because when it was conceived, the dollar was exchanging for N120.

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“Today, this same Programme is still being run with the same budgetary provision of N65bn for a whole year. Currently, the dollar is exchanging for N1,700 and the funding of the programme has remained stagnant while the needs of the Programme are expanding.

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“We, as council, want to passionately appeal to President Bola Tinubu, the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Budget, the National Assembly, the Senate President and the leadership of the National Assembly to work together to improve the funding of the programme.

“There is so much that is expected from this programme because if the Niger Delta fails, Nigeria will pay more. The PAP is at the driver’s seat of sustaining the peace in the Niger Delta. So the need to expand this Programme to accommodate more people is very important at this point in time.”

Lokpobiri commended Otuaro for repositioning the PAP and “bringing the programme back to our people in the Niger Delta”.

While stressing that the administrator’s leadership role and his policy of inclusion had engendered stability in the region, Lokpobiri assured the PAP boss of the support of IYC and also thanked him for identifying with the youth body.

The statement quoted Otuaro as having reiterated his commitment to serve the people of the Niger Delta wholeheartedly as he knew the task ahead of him upon his appointment.

The PAP boss reassured the Ijaw youths that the programme was in safe hands.

He said the PAP was at the reintegration phase which he described as critical in the implementation of the programme’s objectives, adding that his leadership understood the vital roles of stakeholders towards the sustainable peace, security and stability of the region.

While thanking the IYC for the visit, Otuaro said, “When I came into office, I knew the task ahead. I also know the roles of the Ijaw National Congress, IYC, our women and other organisations. That is why I usually say that this programme is in safe hands. This job is about our people. The office, under my leadership, also takes stakeholders engagement seriously.”