A dinner for beneficiaries of Presidential Amnesty Programme held at the presidential villa on Wednesday night
45 of the over 200 undergraduates of the amnesty programme graduated with a 1st class degree
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo hosted beneficiaries of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) on Wednesday, October 19. The dinner in honour of the outstanding graduands of the programme was held at the presidential villa, Abuja.
Osinbajo, who represented President Muhammadu Buhari, said 45 of the over 200 undergraduates of
the PAP beneficiaries graduated with a 1st class degree. Among those who graduated are pilots and engineers. Some of the ex-militants who trained as automobile engineers with Innoson motors and assembled the bus below, which was on display at the event.
Bus assembled by the ex-militants
Speaking at the event, one of the graduand said they are looking forward to building a new Niger Delta where vandalism and all forms of conflict will be a thing of the past.
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| Some of the pilots of the amnesty programme |
Late president Umar Musa Yar’Adua unfolded the PAP in 2009, at a time Niger Delta militants held the country to ransom, blowing up pipelines and disrupting oil exploration. The programme was to placate the militants. On acceptance, they were expected to renounce militancy and embrace the federal government of Nigeria’s package for their rehabilitation.
Many laid down their arms at that time and embraced the programme. Nigerians thought militancy was over in the Niger Delta region until some militants decided to once again start blowing up oil facilities in the region.
The government is still trying to get the militants to embrace dialogue. A month ago, the federal government of Nigeria said it is set to integrate all Niger Delta ex-militants into agriculture.
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