A COMPREHENSIVE policy on modalities and conditions for granting of amnesty for militants in the Niger Delta will be out in a fortnight, President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua said yesterday.
The President also for the first time spoke on the ongoing offensive against militants in the area, saying that the military “Search and Rescue” mission was targeted at removing elements who have used criminality to hijack the genuine agitation of the Niger Delta people.
He spoke while receiving the report of the Presidential Panel on Amnesty and Disarmament of Militants in the Niger Delta at Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.
Yar’Adua also noted that the criminal elements have constituted themselves into a real threat to Nigeria’s security and survival, stressing that the provision of the necessary infrastructure for the socio-economic development of the region was dependent on an enduring atmosphere of peace and security.
The President said: “Developments in the nation’s Niger Delta Region over the past few weeks have necessitated the Federal Government’s decisive action against armed criminal elements who have hijacked genuine agitations in the region and constituted themselves into very real threats to Nigeria’s national security and economic survival.
“Our agenda for resolving the lingering development challenges in the Niger Delta is still very much on course.”
Towards this, the President reiterated the government’s “commitment to granting amnesty to all militants who are ready to lay down their arms and return to being law-abiding citizens of our fatherland.”
He, therefore, urged “all militants in the region to take advantage of this offer, and lay down their arms and cease all acts of disobedience to law and order. All law abiding citizens should go about their lawful duties without let or hindrance.”
He added: “I must express my debt of gratitude to the Chairman and members of the Presidential Panel on Amnesty and Disarmament of Militants in the Niger Delta for the painstaking and expeditious manner in which they have carried out their assignment.
“Fellow Nigerians, the accomplishment of the task of national transformation which our administration is embarked on leaves no room for any distraction.”
He, therefore, appealed “to all our leaders – political, religious, and traditional – to be guided at all times by a sense of a proper appreciation of the greater good and an abiding faith in the peace, security, and prosperity of our dear nation.”
The panel’s Chairman and Minister of the Interior, Maj.-Gen. Godwin Abbe (rtd), said the recommendations, if implemented, would help stem the current crisis in the region.
His words: “Mr. President, we have tried to proffer solutions to a number of challenges that will arise in the course of giving meaning to your magnanimity. We are convinced that the recommendations in the report will provide a comprehensive framework for dealing with the matters of disarmament, demobilization and rehabilitation or reintegration of the militants.”
He pointed out that the framework of the panel “recommends the full participation of all tiers of government, security agencies, civil society groups and other stakeholders in achieving the goal of general amnesty for the ex-militants and establishment of lasting peace in the Niger Delta region.”
Meanwhile, Special Duties Minister Alhaji A. Kazaure has pledged improved conditions of life for the people of the region.
The minister, who spoke at the National Support for Yar’Adua-Jonathan Presidency’s second Anniversary Lecture at Transcorp Hilton Hotel, said: “The Niger Delta Ministry is at work. Soon, total peace and security will be restored in the Niger Delta as a result of our carefully planned polices to improve the standard of living of Nigerians and especially those in the Niger Delta.”
According to him, Nigerians have already started to reap the benefits of the Federal Government’s seven-point agenda programme.
The minister, who represented President Yar’Adua, added: “Agriculture has been revamped and over N200 billion is released to boost food security. Our administration will not want anybody in this country to go to bed without a healthy meal.
“Jobs are being created so that our unemployed youths can get back to work. We have realised the importance of infrastructure in development. Roads are being constructed here in Abuja and in all the six geo-political zones of the country and by December this year, Nigeria will have better energy services because 6,000 megawatts of electricity will be added to our national grid.
“This administration is determined to leave lasting legacy of true and fair elections. We are determined to reform our partisan politics and accelerate democratic development. The Electoral Reform has started. Six bills are now with the National Assembly. The passage of these bills will considerably change the landscape of our polity for peaceful, free and fair elections.”