Don’t scrap Amnesty programme, N/Delta Ministry, ex-militants tell Buhari

The Niger Delta Salvation Group, on Tuesday, advised President-elect Muhammadu Buhari, to resist the temptation of scrapping any of the interventionist programmes including the amnesty programme, initiated by the late President Umaru Yar’Adua.
National coordinator of the group, Victor Tamarapreye, gave the counsel in reaction to the outcome of the March 28 presidential election, which President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party lost.

Tamarapreye explained that members of the group, which is a new coalition of ex-agitators, have been closely monitoring events before, during and after the last general elections.

The NDSG coordinator said while members had reservations about the transparency of the election, which saw to the declaration of Buhari as winner, they respected the president’s decision to concede defeat, just as they were willing to support him should he decide to seek legal redress.

Tamarapreye said, “As for the ‘President-elect’, we want him and his party, the APC to note that we are watching carefully their plans and mission for the Niger Delta.

“We want them to recall the recent history of the region when crises led to disruption of Nigeria’s oil production capacity and inevitably affected the income accrued to federal, state and local governments.

“That was because of decade-old marginalisation of the region and her people, who are the chicken that lays the golden eggs.

“In the past few years, some form of peace and stability has returned to the region largely because of the interventionist policies of the Yar’Adua-Jonathan Presidencies. The policies led to such laudable programmes and agencies such as the Niger-Delta Ministry, the Amnesty Programme and the likes”.

Members of the group said they were proud of President Jonathan for his statesmanship and for putting the interest of Nigeria above his own.

They however, said it would be counter-productive for the incoming administration to sideline the Niger Delta region as punishment for voting the PDP during the last elections.