President Umaru Yar’Adua has set up a special presidential committee to work out the details of the recent reprieve granted to the Niger Delta warlords by the Federal Government.
The Minister of State, Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, Mr. Godsday Orubebe, disclosed this in an interview with our correspondent on Sunday.
He, however, declined to volunteer details of the leadership and membership of the committee.
Yar’Adua had in March announced amnesty for the militants willing to embrace peace by laying down their arms.
He also promised that the National Security Council would work out the details of the gesture.
Although Orubebe said the Presidency would make the committee public, investigation by our correspondent showed that Yar’Adua might have appointed the National Security Adviser to lead the body.
Orubebe said, “A committee has being put in place and very shortly the committee will work out the details in consultation with all stakeholders that are involved so that we can have a programme to bring into reality the amnesty that has been pronounced by Mr. President which of course will be followed by the empowerment of our youths massively.
“The President has announced it (amnesty) and very shortly the government will make the members of the committee public but until that is done we have to wait for the government’s pronounce-ment.
“But I think it is finalised and any minute from now the committee will be formally announced by the government.”
Orubebe, however, said the ministry had concluded sensitisation tour of the creeks and waterways of the Niger Delta to persuade the militants to embrace the presidential gesture.
He added, “We have gone round all the states in the Niger Delta and the ministry will continue to directly interact with the youths, women, traditional rulers, business community and leaders of the entire nine states.
“We are consulting with them directly and agree on what to do and move forward. We are carrying the thinking of Mr. President directly to them and not through anybody, to tell them the reality of the situation that we cannot be talking about development and yet there is crisis and yet people that are coming to work in the area are disturbed.
“We cannot be talking about full engagement when the opportunities are not given to the Federal Government to do what it plans to do.”