The Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) has launched a novel scheme called the Presidential Amnesty Programme Cooperative Society Limited, (PAPCOSOL) in favour of the ex-agitators to the tune of N1.5 billion.
PAP’s Interim Administrator, Major General Barry Ndiomu, who stated this during the launch of the project said the Cooperative already has over N1.5 billion deposited in Providus Bank.
Ndioma also noted that the Programme looks forward to injecting N500 million monthly to sustain the PAPCOSOL.
He said the agricultural and manufacturing sectors were its target in providing grants for the ex-agitators.
“As I speak, the Cooperative already has N1.5 billion deposited in Providus Bank which they will immediately access for the beneficiaries.
“The plans going forward is to provide a minimum of N500 million every other month to sustain the PAPCOSOL. I’m sure if we’re consistent with what we are doing, we will be able to eliminate poverty and make our youths in the Niger Delta gainfully employed.”
“Beneficiaries will have access to grants on credits. The core focus will be on agriculture and the manufacturing sector.”
Ndiomu explained that the goal of the PAPCOSOL was to discourage reliance on their monthly stipends and groom youths in the oil-rich Niger Delta region to become entrepreneurs themselves.
According to him, “The whole idea is to discourage the reliance on stipends, which we will all agree has practically introduced the culture of dependency indolence, which is not in our best interest and so we have decided that rather than give them fish, it is better to teach them how to fish so that they can become entrepreneurs with the funds made available to them, which they can access freely since they themselves are the managers of the cooperative scheme.
“We are not involved, we are only going to supervise and also assist them through the consultants we have appointed to oversee their activities and ensure their economic empowerment as time goes.
“The initial numbers captured of the ex-agitators were 30,000, but that number has dropped significantly over the years and so we are looking at just about that number and even much more. It is hoped that over time we expect naturally as they become empowered that they disengage from it. On the time frame, he said, we cannot speculate on that at this moment.”
Giving further details on PAPCOSOL, Ndiomu said, “As conceptualized, PAPCOSOL will be closely supervised by the Office of the Interim Administrator of PAP-being its key administrative and strategic guide.
“The Advisory Board consists of top professionals drawn from various fields and industries and is being headed by HRM (Dr) Justice F. F. Tabai, CON, JSC (rtd.). Project Consultants who will handle the technical deliverables and business development processes have been identified and engaged.”
Representatives of different phases of ex-agitators hold the base to the Cooperative.
“The Cooperative is expected to work with beneficiaries of PAP to identify businesses that align with their motivations/skill areas, set up and turn the process into a profitable venture.
“It will provide technical and business development support to beneficiaries to enable them own and run viable business ventures that will meet their essential needs, create employment and boost economic growth in the Niger Delta Region.”
Also speaking, the Chairman Advisory Board, PAPCOSOL and a former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Francis Tabai, said the scheme was set up to enable the ex-agitators become business men and that it was a welcome initiative.
