The sudden death of President Umaru Yar'Adua, led to the failure of federal government to implement some of the packages in the amnesty programme meant for the Niger Delta region.
Ex-president Yar'aduaa
Speaking at the public presentation of a book titled "Home–School Partnership for School Effectiveness", the pioneer Chairman of the Presidential Committee on the Implementation of the Amnesty Programme, Maj. Gen. Godwin Abbe (rtd), over the weekend, lamented that the sudden death of President Umaru Yar’Adua, led to the failure to implement some of the packages in the amnesty programme meant for the Niger Delta region.
While describing the current insurgency in the region as senseless, he noted that President Muhammadu Buhari, who was not privy to the amnesty arrangement, has started the implementation of some of the key items through the on-going clean-up of oil spills in Ogoniland, the construction of the East West rail line.
The former Minister of Defence, warned the Niger Delta Avengers and other militant groups destroying oil pipelines to desist from actions capable of destroying not only the environment but the entire economy of the nation, and called for a peaceful dialogue.
“There is no programme that is forever. But, I think that the point of departure was the fact that after the demise of President Yar’Adua, the type continuity that would have taken place did not take place. But that is past now as President Buhari was not a party to that.
“There are several aspects of the amnesty programme that were concluded. It was not just enough to send these young ones to institutions of higher learning, develop the manpower needs of the Niger Delta region.
"There were other projects that would have been taken on. Like the East West Road, it took a long time for it to be completed. The present government has taken on the East West rail way line. There was also the idea of constructing a coastal high way from Ekpe to Akwa Ibom State," he said.