Niger Delta Ex-agitators Beg For Increase In Amnesty Stipends

Niger Delta Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) Phase 2 beneficiaries have urged President Bola Tinubu to consider an upward review of the monthly stipends being paid to the Niger Delta ex-agitators.

In a statement yesterday signed by the PAP Phase 2 national chairman, Ibena Rufus Salvation, he lamented that the N65,000 stipend each beneficiary receives at the end of the month is not sustainable given recent economic realities.

Ibena noted that a review of their stipends will cushion the effect of the hyper-inflation that is currently being experienced in the country, which is also critical for peace in the Niger Delta region.

He commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his renewed commitment to negotiating with organised labour, which prompted the suspension of the indefinite strike that almost crippled socio-economic activities in the country.

Ibena urged the federal government to ensure that all sectors of the country, particularly the beneficiaries of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, who have been on a monthly stipend of N65,000 since 2009, are captured in the new minimum wage for the interest of all Nigerians.

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“We respectfully advocate for including the beneficiaries of the Presidential Amnesty Programme in the recent wage increment initiatives.

“The skyrocketing prices of goods and services in the local markets only exacerbate the frustrations of the youths in the Niger Delta region. Some necessities have become unaffordable luxuries, pushing the Niger Delta youths to the brink of despair.

“In 2024, the inflation rate is 33.69 percent, a litre of petrol goes for N750 – N800, and the exchange rate of the naira to the dollar is between N1435 – N1472. This clearly shows that the Niger Delta ex-agitators can no longer survive on N65,000. Hence, it is time for the stipend to be increased,” they said.