Mkpoikana Udoma 15 August 2015, Sweetcrude, Port Harcourt – The Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, Worldwide has commended President Muhammadu Buhari “for responding to the agitation of the Niger Delta people by appointing General Paul Boroh (Rtd), as Coordinator for the Presidential Amnesty Programme and also to double as the Special Adviser on Niger Delta Affairs to the President”.
The IYC, in a statement by its spokesperson, Mr. Eric Omare, described the appointment of Gen. Boroh as the first step towards resolving pressing and pending issues relating to the Niger Delta Amnesty Programme.
Omare also advised the new Presidential Amnesty Coordinator to “hit the ground running and urgently begin to address pending issues in the amnesty programme”.
According to the statement, “While congratulating General Boroh on his well-deserved appointment, the IYC calls on General Boroh to take urgent steps to pay outstanding tuition fees and allowances of beneficiaries of the amnesty, especially those undergoing programmes of studies in abroad that are already losing their studentship”.
“We also call on him to consult with critical stakeholders in the Niger Delta region on the future of the Amnesty Programme and in taking decisions that affect the future and the overall development of the Niger Delta region,” the statement stated.
Prior to Boroh’s appointment, IYC had in a statement sent out a warning to the government on the rising tension in the Niger Delta over the non-payment of the tuition fees of those undergoing undergraduate and post-graduate degree programmes within and outside Nigeria as well as allowances of former militants.
A statement had read: “The IYC wishes to alert Nigerians and the international community that there is a rising tension in the Niger Delta region as a result of the non-payment of allowances to beneficiaries of the PAP (Presidential Amnesty Programme), which would soon result in security breach in the region.
“We strongly believe that this is a deliberate ploy by some interest groups in the Presidency to frustrate the amnesty programme, create crisis in the Niger Delta region and use it as a justification to attack the region.”
The apex Ijaw youth group advised the Federal Government to pay the beneficiaries’ tuition and allowances without delay.
The group further urged the Muhammadu Buhari administration to ensure that the Amnesty Programme was followed to its logical conclusion by training all the beneficiaries.