The Movement for the Survival of the Izon Ethnic Nationality in the Niger Delta (MOSIEND), has said the rate of oil theft and pipeline vandalism is still high in the Niger Delta region, because majority of those who were involved in it before have gone back to the trade.
This is as it called on the federal government to upwardly review the funds meant for the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) considering the present economic hardship in the country.
Speaking with LEADERSHIP in Port Harcourt yesterday, MOSIEND national president, Dr Kennedy West, stated that until PAP is adequately funded, the fight against oil theft and pipeline vandalisation will be an illusion.
West further stated that a lot of the former Niger Delta militants, especially those living within oil bearing communities, have gone back to the illegal bunkering business because they have lost hope in the amnesty programme of the federal government.
He said: “Until Amnesty Programme is adequately funded, the issue of oil theft and pipeline vandalisation will be an illusion. Reason being that the Amnesty Programme has suffered a lot of setback getting to nine years now.”
He said the hopes and aspirations brought about by the Amnesty Programme are dwindling seriously and without remorse on the part of the federal government. He noted that the former militants in the Niger Delta did you do what is called ‘arms buyback’. He said it was out of their own volition that they decided to drop their arms for the purpose of peace and for Nigeria to get back to its economic boom.
Recall that the ugly days of the insurgency in the Niger Delta, reduced oil production to about 700,000 barrels per day from about 2.5 million barrels per day. When they surrendered their arms, it bounced back to 2.2 million barrels per day.
“Currently, even with the contract given to indigenous players to man the pipelines, why is it that there is still drastic reduction in oil production? It is because most of the people who live within the oil and gas producing communities have gone back to the same trade. That is because they have lost hope in the Amnesty Programme.
“Recall that the N65 billion that the Amnesty Programme is using to service areas of education, areas of community sustainability development and all of that come from that meagre N65 billion, which was proposed by Dr. Kingsley Kuku, the former Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs and Administrator of Presidential Amnesty Programme.
“It is unfair that the federal government did not consider the present economic hardship and reality to review the funds going into Amnesty Programme upwards,” he said.
