Members of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) have expressed mixed feelings and concerns over President Muhammadu Buhari’s inaugural address concerning the amnesty program for indigenes of the Niger Delta region.
In a statement issued on Sunday by its spokesman, Eric Omare, the IYC urged the new government to review the terminal date for the amnesty in order to accommodate those who were yet to complete the scheme.
“President Buhari in his speech said that the amnesty program for ex-Niger Delta agitators would end by December, 2015.
“The IYC appreciates the fact that the amnesty program cannot continue forever and therefore must have a terminal date.
“However, the questions on the lips of beneficiaries and stakeholders in the Niger Delta region are: what would happen to those that have not been trained at as December 2015.
“And what about those still undergoing training or have not completed their training?” Omare stated.
Mr. Omare explained that the termination of the program would throw up challenges for beneficiaries of the program who are still undergoing training and are at different level of their training.
The IYC spokesman said the group expects the federal government to reassure beneficiaries who are currently in different parts of the world and are worried that their training may be affected upon the program’s termination in December 2015.
Mr. Omare also said the IYC was even more concerned about a substantial number of ex-militants who have not been trained under the amnesty program. He urged the federal government to address these challenges before the program is finally ended.
He added that the IYC would support any initiative to streamline projects as well as the amnesty in order to make them more effective.
The IYC stated, “we wish to advise that any effort towards restructuring of developmental institutions and projects should have the input of the people of the region at the heart of the process.
“The people of the Niger Delta must be the ones to decide the shape of developmental institutions in the region.”
The IYC said the group had expected President Buhari to address issues such as cleaning up of the Niger Delta environment and implementation of the UNEP report in the Ogoni area.
He also urged Mr. Buhari to address the menace of oil theft which has greatly contributed to environmental degradation in the Niger Delta region. The IYC reminded the new president of his campaign promise to tackle the issue.
The IYC said the group was disappointed that President Buhari failed to address certain key issues which are dear to the Niger Delta people in his inaugural speech. Mr. Omare called on the president to fulfill his promises to the Niger Delta people.