The Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) for the ex-agitators in the Niger Delta is still in effect, despite the Federal Government’s earlier promises to cancel it.
Maj-Gen Barry Ndiomu, the PAP’s interim administrator, acknowledged the new government stance on Saturday in a statement released by Donu Kogbara, the program’s media consultant.
Ndiomu thanked the FG for taking his advise, and he added that he had made it clear that important regional stakeholders were adamantly opposed to the PAP’s winding down.
He added that all responsible stakeholders nevertheless support change and share his view that the programme needs to be totally refocused and restructured, noting that the government weighed the arguments presented to them, based on their merits, and decided to suspend the planned shutdown.
The statement said: “The Federal Government has heard the concerns of Niger Delta people and, with our best interests at heart, has decided to shelve an unwanted termination agenda and transform PAP into a more sanitized, transparent, efficient, robust and sustainable entity.
“The decision was taken after the feelings of stakeholders and people of the region were communicated to the government and proves that the Buhari’s administration will not do anything to jeopardize the peace in the Niger Delta.
“We call on all stakeholders to sustain the peace in the region and help the new administration reform, refocus and reposition the programme for optimum performance.”