Skip to main content

Pres. Buhari Promise To Keep Niger Delta Amnesty Programme


Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari vowed on Sunday to keep and "re-engineer" a controversial amnesty programme for Niger delta militants designed to stem attacks that have slashed oil exports.
The announcement, made in a televised speech marking his first year in office, is an apparent reversal from earlier this year when his government pledged to end the scheme by 2018.
The costly programme introduced in 2009 after years of violence by separatist militants pays monthly stipends to 30 000 former militants as well as offering them training opportunities.
A wave of recent attacks on Nigeria's oil infrastructure has seen the country's oil output drop to the lowest level in two decades, putting pressure on the Nigerian government to restore peace in the southern swamplands.
"The recent spate of attacks by militants disrupting oil and power installations will not distract us from engaging leaders in the region," Buhari said.
"Re-engineering the amnesty programmes is an example of this."
This week militant group Niger Delta Avengers claimed responsibility for three separate attacks targeting oil giants Chevron and Shell as well as the Nigerian National Petroleum Company.
Faced with a looming recession and depleted cash reserves, Buhari has limited options to deal with rebels having already cut back spending on the amnesty programme.
Experts have said that increased amnesty payments could be the most realistic way to secure a ceasefire.
"If the Avengers continue to raise havoc in the onshore oil sector, and the military response falls short or backfires, the administration may eventually need to consider ramping up its amnesty budget as the lesser of evils," Philippe de Pontet, sub-Saharan Africa analyst at risk advisory firm Eurasia Group, said in a recent report.
Falling production of crude exports, which Nigeria depends on for 70% of state revenue, has hampered growth in Africa's largest economy.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

5 BEST WAYS TO START SUCCESSFUL POULTRY FARM IN NIGERIA.

Poultry farming can be seen as the process of keeping and raising different kinds of birds such as ducks, chickens, turkey, geese, etc, for the main purpose of selling them when they're grown or for their eggs or meat.  Poultry farm have become a crucial part of Nigeria's economy both in food production and otherwise.  Poultry farming is one of the lucrative agricultural business in Nigeria today both for the meat and the eggs. Poultry farming doesn't require a lot of money to start except you want to start it big. But just in a one room and with few chickens, you can start a poultry farm. How do you start a poultry farm? Nowadays, in Nigeria and outside Nigeria, there is a high demand for the products of a poultry farm, for example, egg is considered a high standard commodity both in rural and urban areas. Nigeria boost as the highest egg producing country in Africa followed by South Africa.  Before you start a poultry farm, you should be prepared with all its equipments...
Post a Comment
Read more

UNIBEN STUDENT PROTEST.........

UNIBEN students protest the death of classmate allegedly knocked down by military van ‎ On Sunday morning July 19th, Rita Awele (pictured above) was tragically hit & killed (allegedly) by a military patrol van along the Lagos-Benin Expressway. The 18 year old 200 level Philosophy student was either going to or returning from church when she was knocked down and killed. The driver didn't even stop. Another person who was knocked down by the van is still in hospital Students of the school this morning blocked vehicular movement on the Lagos-Benin road, protesting her death. They are asking for speed bumps or flyovers to be mounted in front of the school gate. "The school is located along Lagos-Benin expressway and this is a major problem for students staying off campus trying to get into the school as cars, buses, trucks and trailers are always on high speed plying that route. A pedestrian bridge was there before but it was taken down during the reconstruction of ...
Post a Comment
Read more

HOW TO BUILD YOUR POLITICAL EMPIRE

Politics have become a gold mine in Nigeria today. Once you're into any political office, be it a commissioner or a local government chairman, you should be seeing enough money to keep you very comfortable.  Be that as ut may, political career takes time to build and more especially, the right connection and network of people.  Starting your political career in Nigeria will require you to have passion and be interested in all the political activities in you community. Nowadays, not only the big boys do politics, ladies and women have also taken the stage in political offices. So don't worry about your gender, the political offices is for both gender. But you will have to earn it by struggle. In this article, I will widen your knowledge on how you can become a successful politician in Nigeria and also make you wards successful through the same field. Start Early To play the game of politics, you will need the experience you've gotten from secondary schools to university. Vye...
Post a Comment
Read more