The Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Maj. Gen. Barry Ndiomu (retd.), has advocated for the restructuring of the Niger Delta Amnesty Programme, News About Nigeria reports.
Ndiomu made this call during the visit of the Chairman, Presidential Amnesty Implementation Committee, Kingsley Kuku, to the PAP office in Abuja.
Ndiomu, while advocating that the Presidential Amnesty Programme be transitioned into a social investment agency, stated that the programme was long overdue to be concluded.
According to him, the amnesty programme was important as it has helped the youths of the Niger Delta tremendously, especially in building capacity.
He also noted that the programme is meant to have entered the phase of reintegration and pleaded with President Bola Tinubu to assist them in ensuring that the lives of the Niger Delta youths are impacted.
Ndiomu, however, noted that the programme has not been able to achieve most of the objectives for which it was established, maintaining that his advocacy of transitioning to a social investment agency was hinged on this fact.
He stated that the programme has recorded some successes, which, according to him, began at the time of Chief Kingsley Kuku, who is also a former Special Adviser to the President of the Niger Delta.
He noted that programmes including the pilot training scheme and the education scholarship programme, among others, were started under his leadership, adding that the programme under the PAP chairman has produced so many graduates in various fields, including pilots, flight engineers, and many others.
He also expressed his appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for continuing with the Amnesty Programme, which he referred to as a critical programme.
