“N65bn Not Enough”: IYC Gives Reason Tinubu Should Increase Funding of Amnesty Programme
- An urgent appeal has been made to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu regarding the presidential amnesty programme
- The Ijaw Youth Council, headed by Jonathan Lokpobiri, met with the PAP boss, General Ndiomu, and stressed the need for a financial boost of the programme by the FG
- The IYC expressed readiness to collaborate strategically with the PAP for the betterment of young Niger Deltans
Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.
FCT, Abuja - The president of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Sir Jonathan Lokpobiri, has advocated for an upward review of the allocation accruable to the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) from the federal government's purse.
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IYC makes a case for PAP under Tinubu's govt
Lokpobiri, who made this patriotic call on Monday, January 8, in Abuja while on a courtesy visit to the PAP Interim Administrator, Major General Barry Ndiomu (rtd), called for strict intervention support from the federal government headed by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
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In a statement made available to Legit.ng on Tuesday, January 9, the IYC leader noted that the FG's assistance was needed to enable the PAP's leadership to meet the current realities and expectations.
Lokpobiri said:
"With the fast decrease in value of the Naira, a N65 billion annual funding is a far cry. N65billion of now cannot do what N65 billion of before would have done.
"It is our appeal to the Government of President Bola Tinubu that there needs to be a review."
While noting that the programme has been "tremendously successful" in terms of impacting the lives of young Niger Deltans, he expressed the commitment and readiness of the IYC as the umbrella body of young people in the region to partner and work "strategically" with Ndiomu to further reposition the PAP.
Ijaw Youths gets fresh tasks after meeting Gen Ndiomu
In his remarks, Gen. Ndiomu commended the IYC president for his acknowledgement of the paucity of funds in the PAP.
"When people make comments without getting their facts right, it becomes displeasing," he said of Lokpobiri's acknowledgement of the current realities of the value of the naira to the dollar.
Ndiomu further charged the IYC leadership to take up the responsibility of preaching the many success stories of the PAP to young people in the region, advise them to drop the culture of laziness and indolence, and begin to think of "bigger" ways to sustainably improve their lives.
Ndiomu speaks on amnesty's scholarship programmes
Clearing the air on amnesty's scholarship programmes, Ndiomu reiterated that the scheme is ongoing and that his administration has cleared all academic bills of its beneficiaries, both for local and international students.
Ndiomu called on the Ijaw nation to "check its excesses", and explore ways of working with other ethnic nationalities of the Niger Delta region to drive "peace, unity and harmony".
While decrying the "disturbing" level of poverty in Ijaw land, the interim administrator expressed worry that young people in the Niger Delta are not taking full advantage of the enormous opportunities in the region. Among these, he listed the vast natural habitat for rice farming and the untapped potential of oil palm production.
He also renewed his call for the possibility of PAP transiting into a Social Intervention Programme (SIP), insisting that the sustainable peace being enjoyed in the region is 90% traceable to the various innovative programmes of the PAP that are deliberately aimed at improving the lives of young people.
What you need to know about PAP and IYC
The IYC is a prominent umbrella organisation representing the interests of young people in the Niger Delta region.
The amnesty programme, PAP, was initiated to address the grievances of ex-militants in the Niger Delta and foster development in the region.
The value of the naira has seen a significant decrease, prompting calls for a review of the annual funding of the PAP.
Major General Barry Ndiomu (rtd) serves as the interim administrator of the PAP.
Edwin Clark tells Tinubu not to scrap PAP
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the decision-makers in the Niger Delta region defended General Barry Ndiomu (rtd), the amnesty programme boss.
The critical stakeholders in the Niger Delta region unanimously resolved that the PAP had brought relative and sustainable peace for oil and gas activities to thrive, a situation which is in the overall well-being of the national economy.
As reported by Daily Trust, the elder statesman and south-south leader, Edwin Clark, said this in a communique signed by the Pan Niger Delta Forum(PANDEF) Board of Trustees Secretary, Godknows Igali and made available to journalists on Thursday, August 24, 2023.
Presidential amnesty boss debunks corruption allegation
Meanwhile, the leadership of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) has issued a fresh warning to defamers.
PAP, in a statement signed by its senior assistant on media, Freston Akpor, on Monday, August 7, threatened to sue those who employ falsehoods to defame the agency and its chief executive, Major-General Barry Ndiomu.
Akpor, in the statement, also urged security agencies to arrest those spreading falsehood to undermine peace in the Niger Delta region.
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Source: Legit.ng
