The National Coordinator, South-South Leadership Forum, Anabs Sara-Igbe has called for a restructuring of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, PAP, in the Niger Delta instead of an outright scrapping.
Anabs Sara-Igbe tells Ifiemi Andrew on Nigeria Info’s Morning Crossfire that the security situation in the Niger Delta region would have deteriorated if the amnesty programme had not been created.
Chief Sara-Igbe blamed the shortfalls in the amnesty program on the leadership over the years. He accused managers of the programme of deviating from the main aim of the programme and mismanaging its structure.
Chief Sara-Igbe, therefore, called for a restructuring of the programme to drive peace in the Niger Delta.
He explained that this should be done in a way that mops up arms, enriches, and creates a sense of belonging for the people of the region.
Chief Sara-Igbe also advised that the leadership of the Presidential amnesty programme should consist of individuals familiar with the dynamics of the Niger Delta region in order to achieve the purpose of the amnesty programme.
The Presidential Amnesty Programme, PAP was initiated by then President Umaru Musa Yardua in an amnesty deal with militants in the Niger Delta to reduce unrest in the oil-rich region, which had affected the country’s oil production capacity.
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