Beyond Amnesty: The Billion-Dollar Opportunities Niger Deltans Ignore | Who Runs PTDF, NIMASA?
By Jacob Abai
For decades, the Niger Delta has been the backbone of Nigeria’s economy, contributing over 80% of the nation’s foreign exchange earnings through crude oil exports. Yet, despite its vast natural wealth, the region remains politically and economically disadvantaged. One key reason is the misguided focus of Niger Deltans on the Presidential Amnesty Program (PAP) while neglecting other powerful institutions that shape the oil and maritime industries.
While the Presidential Amnesty Program was created as a conflict resolution mechanism for ex-agitators, it has now become the primary (and sometimes only) aspiration for many young Niger Deltans. Meanwhile, the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), and the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB)—agencies with the power to develop human capital and ensure economic empowerment—remain underutilized, unexplored, and unchallenged by the very people they were meant to serve.
This raises big questions that Niger Deltans must answer if they truly desire a future beyond government stipends and temporary empowerment schemes.
1. Why do Niger Deltans fixate on the Presidential Amnesty Program (PAP) but ignore the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF)?
The PTDF was created to develop indigenous capacity in the oil and gas sector. It provides scholarships for master’s and PhD programs abroad, technical training, and research funding for Nigerians—yet, Niger Deltans rarely take advantage of these opportunities.
- Do young people from the region apply for PTDF scholarships and technical training?
- How many Niger Deltans are aware of PTDF’s programs and funding opportunities?
- Who determines the selection process, and why is there no regional mobilization to secure more slots for Niger Deltans?
A closer look at PTDF’s beneficiaries shows that young Nigerians from other regions, particularly the North, dominate its scholarship programs. Why? Because they actively apply, lobby, and push their representatives to secure placements. Meanwhile, Niger Delta youths focus on stipends from PAP, missing out on globally recognized oil and gas training.
2. Who truly controls the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), and why is the Niger Delta silent?
The Niger Delta is Nigeria’s maritime hub, home to major ports, creeks, and offshore installations. Yet, the agency that regulates maritime affairs—NIMASA—is largely controlled by people from outside the region.
NIMASA is responsible for:
Providing scholarships for maritime studies (including training abroad for seafarers and naval engineers)
Awarding contracts for maritime security, shipbuilding, and port management
Regulating and supporting local maritime businesses
Yet:
- How many Niger Deltans are studying maritime-related courses through NIMASA sponsorship?
- How many Niger Delta-based companies have NIMASA contracts?
- Why are we not demanding more influence over the agency that controls our coastal economy?
Instead of lobbying for key positions in NIMASA, many Niger Deltans remain unaware of its power. Meanwhile, others exploit this ignorance to maintain control over multi-billion naira contracts in maritime security and logistics.
3. Does the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) truly serve Niger Deltans, or just oil companies?
The NCDMB was created to ensure that Nigerians—especially oil-producing communities—benefit from oil and gas projects through employment, local content participation, and contracts. Yet, the reality on the ground tells a different story.
- How many Niger Delta-based companies are registered and actively bidding for NCDMB contracts?
- How much of the NCDMB’s training programs directly empower Niger Deltans?
- Who monitors whether oil companies are truly adhering to the local content laws meant to benefit host communities?
Instead of taking advantage of these opportunities, many Niger Delta youths are fixated on quick money from the Amnesty Office rather than long-term investments in skill acquisition and business development through NCDMB programs.
4. Why is the average Niger Deltan unable to name the heads of these agencies?
A striking reality emerges when you ask an average Niger Deltan:
Who is the Executive Secretary of PTDF?
Who is the Director-General of NIMASA?
The response? Silence.
Yet, these agencies control the very resources that define the economic destiny of the Niger Delta. By failing to hold these leaders accountable or engage them, Niger Deltans surrender decision-making power to people who do not prioritize the region’s interests.
If you do not know who controls these institutions, how can you demand your rightful share?
5. Have we reduced our expectations to mere stipends from the Amnesty Office while others build legacies?
The Presidential Amnesty Program was never designed to be a long-term economic plan for the Niger Delta. It was an emergency intervention meant to rehabilitate ex-agitators and reintegrate them into society.
Yet today:
Young people fight over slots for stipends instead of applying for PTDF scholarships.
Ex-militants struggle for monthly payments instead of demanding access to maritime jobs via NIMASA.
Local businesses beg for contracts from oil companies while ignoring NCDMB’s funding for indigenous firms.
Meanwhile, people from other parts of Nigeria leverage these agencies to acquire skills, scholarships, and contracts that should benefit Niger Delta communities.
A Call for Urgent Change: Wake Up, Niger Delta!
The Niger Delta must break free from the mindset that PAP is the only pathway to survival.
The real power lies in:
- Scholarships and technical training from PTDF
- Maritime opportunities from NIMASA
- Oil and gas contracts via NCDMB
Instead of waiting for government handouts, Niger Deltans must:
Hold these agencies accountable—Who are the decision-makers? How do they allocate resources?
Mobilize for more representation—If Niger Delta voices are absent, others will dictate the rules.
Apply for available programs—Whether it’s PTDF scholarships, NIMASA maritime training, or NCDMB grants, these resources belong to Niger Deltans.
The Presidential Amnesty Program was a temporary fix—but PTDF, NIMASA, and NCDMB are long-term economic powerhouses. It is time for the Niger Delta to shift focus, engage strategically, and take charge of its own future.
The question is: Will we wake up, or will we continue to watch as others take what rightfully belongs to us?
- Jacob Brakere Abai, is the Publisher of GbaramatuVoice International
