Stakeholders from the Niger Delta region have called for a comprehensive review of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), warning against what they described as the growing politicisation of a scheme originally designed to promote peace, equity and stability in the oil-rich region.
The call was contained in a communiqué issued after a strategic meeting of the Niger Delta Stakeholders Forum and Niger Delta Ethnic Nationalities in Port Harcourt on Wednesday night.
The groups urged the Federal Government to restructure the amnesty programme to align with its founding objectives, stressing that the initiative should not be allowed to drift into what they termed “murky political waters.”
They also demanded an upward review of the monthly stipends paid to former agitators, noting that the current N65,000 allowance has remained unchanged despite rising inflation and the continued depreciation of the naira.
The stakeholders further appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to decentralise pipeline surveillance contracts across Niger Delta communities, arguing that such a move would promote fairness, inclusion and sustainable peace in the region.
According to the communiqué, failure to address perceived imbalances in government policies and security arrangements could heighten tensions, particularly around the management of oil and gas infrastructure surveillance contracts.
The groups maintained that decentralising the surveillance framework would restore equity, curb the politicisation of peace-building institutions and boost public confidence in the system.
They recalled that under former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, pipeline surveillance contracts were distributed among various Niger Delta communities, a policy they said enhanced local participation and strengthened community ownership of national assets.
The stakeholders claimed that the arrangement contributed significantly to improved crude oil output, with production reportedly rising to between 2.4 million and 2.5 million barrels per day before May 2015.
However, they expressed concern that despite increased spending under the current centralised surveillance structure, Nigeria has continued to struggle to meet its Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) production quota.
The groups argued that the situation underscores the need for an urgent audit and review of the existing system, insisting that decentralisation should not be mistaken for disorganisation.
The communiqué was signed by several regional youth and advocacy leaders, including President of the Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide, Dr. Alaye Tari Theophilus; President of the Ogoni Federated Youths, Comrade Emmanuel Goteh Bieh; President of the Ibom Youth Council, Lord Mammoth Knight; and Chairman of the Warri Indigenous People’s Movement, among others.
Source: Daily trust