Ijaw youths, under the auspices of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), have called on the Federal Government to approve more funds for the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) to enable it to perform optimally for sustainable peace of the Niger Delta.
The IYC President, Jonathan Lokpobiri, commented while speaking with journalists shortly after he led a council delegation on a courtesy visit to the Administrator of PAP, Dr Dennis Otuaro, in Abuja.
A statement signed by the spokesperson for the IYC, Princewill Binebai and made available to newsmen on Wednesday, quoted Lokpobiri as stating that the scope of the PAP was expanding and should no longer be run with its current budget, which had remained the same for many years.
The umbrella body of Ijaw youths noted that the Programme still had much to do to ensure the continued stabilisation of the region.
The group also argued that the present economic realities in Nigeria and emerging challenges in the region have made it even more compelling for more funds to be appropriated for the Programme.
After carefully assessing the Programme, the council said it discovered that the Dollar was exchanged for N120 when the PAP started, adding that there were sufficient justifiable reasons for the government to consider strengthening the programme with additional funds.
The Ijaw youths appealed to President Bola Tinubu, the Ministers of Budget and Finance, and the leadership of the National Assembly to consider making more funds available for the programme.
The statement read in part, “As Ijaw Youth Council, we have carefully assessed the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) and its massive achievements over the years.
“However, our assessment showed that the Programme can no longer run effectively with its current budget because the dollar was exchanged for N120 when conceived.
“Today, this same Programme is still being run with the same budgetary provision of N65bn for a whole year. Currently, the dollar is exchanged for N1,700, and the programme’s funding has remained stagnant while its needs are expanding.
“We, as a council, want to passionately appeal to President Bola Tinubu, the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Budget, the National Assembly, the Senate President and the leadership of the National Assembly to work together to improve the programme’s funding.
“There is so much that is expected from this programme because if the Niger Delta fails, Nigeria will pay more. The PAP is in the driver’s seat of sustaining the peace in the Niger Delta. So expanding this Programme to accommodate more people is critical now.”
Lokpobiri commended Otuaro for repositioning the PAP and “bringing the programme back to our people in the Niger Delta”.
While stressing that the administrator’s leadership role and his policy of inclusion had engendered stability in the region, Lokpobiri assured the PAP boss of the support of IYC and thanked him for identifying with the youth body.
The statement quoted Otuaro as having reiterated his commitment to serve the people of the Niger Delta wholeheartedly, as he knew the task ahead of him upon his appointment.
The PAP boss reassured the Ijaw youths that the programme was safe.
He said the PAP was in the reintegration phase, which he described as critical in implementing the programme’s objectives. He added that his leadership understood stakeholders’ vital roles in ensuring the region’s sustainable peace, security, and stability.
While thanking the IYC for the visit, Otuaro said, “When I came into office, I knew the task ahead. I also know the roles of the Ijaw National Congress, IYC, our women and other organisations. That is why I usually say that this programme is safe for us. This job is about our people. The office, under my leadership, also takes stakeholder engagement seriously.”
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