Niger Delta too fragile to stop Presidential Amnesty Programme, Ogulagha monarch
…demands for scholarships, skill training, empowerment for his subjects
…Makes case for PAP training centre in Ogulagha kingdom
The Ebenanaowei of Ogulagha Kingdom and Chairman, Delta State Traditional Rulers Forum, His Royal Majesty, Elder (Capt) Dr. King Joseph Timiyan (JP), Agbonu, Torububou 1, has said that the Niger Delta region is still too fragile for the Federal Government of Nigeria to stop the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), which was designed to meaningfully engage the youths from the region.
He stated this when he received the Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Program (PAP) Major Gen, Barry Tariye Ndiomu (Retd), at his palace in Obotobo community, Ogulagha Kingdom, Burutu Local Government Area of Delta state on Friday.
According to the traditional ruler, “there are rumours and worries that the federal government is planning to wind down the presidential amnesty program and we wish to advice that the Niger Delta region is currently too fragile to stop the program.
Bemoaning the plight faced by his people, King Timiyan, told the visiting Interim Administrator that Ogulagha Kingdom is blessed with huge deposits of crude oil hydro-carbons and massive gas deposits abound in all the territory, as well as plays host to strategic national oil assets, without appreciable development and benefit to show for it.
In his words, “It will surprise you our dear Interim Administrator, that we have little or nothing to show for all these contributions to the well-being and wealth of the Nigerian Nation. The Presidential Amnesty Program had also previously sidelined us, such that we do not get direct Scholarship or Skills Acquisition slots which were yearly made available to other kingdoms. We request you to kindly redress this please”
He told the bewildered gathering that since the advent of the PAP scholarship programme no cordinator has given to ogualagha kingdom or communities’ opportunities to nominate any of their qualified and willing candidates either for the foreign or local scholarships.
The first class monarch also lamented that what is said of the PAP scholarship management is even equally true for the skills acquisition and empowerment training schemes locally in Nigeria and offshore in countries outside Nigeria.
To address the drifting situation, the King stressed that the community have a lot of capable and willing indigenes who are ready to learn the skills offered for training by PAP program, and therefore called on the visitor to please come to their aid to avoid youths of the community become despondent or hired into bad ways.
While pleading that the Amnesty boss avail them the opportunity so that thousands of their grumbling and unhappy youths can find accomodation and be educated.
“Since the advent of the PAP scholarship programme no cordinator has given to ogualagha kingdom leadership or communites opportunities to nominate any of our qualified and willing candidates either for the foreign or local scholarships we therefore call upon your administration to correct this anomaly and avail us the opportunity so that thousands of our grumbling and unhappy youths can find accomodation and be educated.
“We have been informed that your administration intends to locate and site training centres in strategic locations in the Niger Delta to facilitate the training, mentoring and impartation/transfer of valuable skills. We are using this opportunity to request your exalted office to please kindly approve the location of one centre in our kingdom which is very strategic and central and will serve for Ijaw kingdoms in Delta, Edo, and parts of bayelsa state we look forward to Corperating with you to host the centre you will establish here and enable it work efficiently as a centre of excellence.”
“Ex- Agitators Left out in the previous Enumeration: there still remain in this kingdom some ex agitators who were not captured in the earlier biometric registration and who as a result are not receiving the monthly stipends should there be another exercise to correct and accommodate such positions please kindly do well to resolve the issue by accommodating them,” he concluded.
However, while it was time for Amnesty Interim Administrator to give his remarks, GbaramatuVoice crew was, for yet to be identified reason(s) sent out of the hall by the master of ceremony on the order of the Media Aid to the Amnesty boss.
Even as the information behind the move remains sketchy, GbaramatuVoice management believes that it may not be unconnected with the newspaper’s hard posture on Ndiomu’s deformed policies as it concerns amnesty programme and related decisions stripped of human face.
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