AMNESTY OFFICE LAUDS KANO ON AIR PILOT SCHEME …WARNS EX-AGITATORS OVER FALSE CLAIMS

PRESS STATEMENT AMNESTY OFFICE LAUDS KANO ON AIR PILOT SCHEME …WARNS EX-AGITATORS OVER FALSE CLAIMS   The Presidential Amnesty Office has described the initiative of the Kano State Government to train youths of the state as aircraft pilots as very commendable. The state government on Thursday commenced a pilot training programme for 100 graduates of the state origin in a televised deployment of the beneficiaries. Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Hon. Kingsley Kuku, said the initiative will go a long way in stemming youth restiveness in the state and in the country. He said it is heartwarming that a state government was taking after an initiative of the Federal Government, which through the amnesty programme is bridging the global shortage of qualified pilots and core aviation industry personnel. “The aircraft pilot training scheme of the Kano State Government is very commendable. It not only complements what the Federal Government is doing through the aviation training component of the amnesty programme, but it also contributes towards bridging the shortage of qualified pilots and core aviation professionals globally. Figures from Boeing show there is a global need for close to 500,000 more commercial pilots by 2029, which is an average of 25,000 new pilots a year,” Kuku said. The PAP chairman, who is also Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, urged states in the Niger Delta, whose youths continually besiege the Amnesty Office to be engaged in its training programme, to borrow a leaf from Kano. In a related development, the Amnesty Office has warned some leaders of the former Niger Delta agitators making false claims of non-payment of travelling allowances and special salaries to desist forthwith. It said those making the claims were being economical with the truth. “In December 2012, no fewer than 68 leaders of the former agitators, in two batches, went to South Africa for a week-long non-violence/business development training. Every one of them was paid his travelling allowance and other logistics expenses. It is not true that the chairman promised to pay them any other allowance apart from what was due to them for the trip. Those making the claim need to show proof that they did not receive their travelling allowances.” The office also dismissed as unfounded the claim that there was no evidence of items purchased for victims of last year’s flooding in five Niger Delta states as the presentation of the items was widely reported in both the print and electronic media. “The items purchased with the donations by the former agitators were presented in November 2012 to the flood relief committees in the affected five states of Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers and Cross River, which had the responsibility of distributing the items to victims of the disaster. The various presentations were shown on television and reported in various newspapers across the country. It is indeed malicious for a few of them to now claim there was no evidence of purchase of these items. “The Amnesty Office feels strongly about these unfounded allegations and warns those feeding the media with falsehood to desist forthwith from impugning the hard-earned reputation of the PAP chairman, Hon. Kuku.” DANIEL ALABRAH HEAD, MEDIA AND COMMUNICATIONS PRESIDENTIAL AMNESTY OFFICE ABUJA

300 NON-MILITANTS IN NIGER DELTA TO BENEFIT FROM AMNESTY PROGRAMME-KUKU

Abuja, March 13, 2013 (NAN) The Presidential Amnesty Office (PAO) says 300 non-militant youths living in the violence and militancy impacted communities in the Niger Delta will benefit from the amnesty programme

Mr Kingsley Kuku, the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, made this known on Wednesday when a delegation of the Ndokwa National Union from Delta North Senatorial District of Delta, paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja.

Kuku, who is also the Chairman of PAO, said the office was looking for interested youths in the violence and militancy impacted communities to be enrolled in education programmes.

He said the decision followed President Goodluck Jonathan’s approval that ``a few youths who have the interest to be educated from the violence and militancy impacted communities in the Niger Delta should also be taken with indigent status.’’

The aide said the approval was based on the fact that all the communities and people in the Niger Delta suffered the adverse effect of oil pipeline vandalism and militancy problems in the area.

Kuku said the former militants should not be the only ones to benefit from the amnesty programme, adding that the non-militant youths living in the militancy impacted communities should also benefit.

He said that he was embarking on a visit to some communities in the Niger Delta to see their challenges, so that he would be in a better position to advise the president on how the challenges could be addressed.

Kuku promised that he would pass on to the President the message of the Delta North Union, particularly how the electricity problem facing the people of Ndokwa could be solved.

Earlier, Mr Paul Enebeli, the President-General of the union, who led the team, alleged that the National Agip Oil Company had been generating over 480 megawatts of electricity daily, but had failed to step down electricity to the communities in Ndokwa land.

``Since 2005, the National Agip Oil Company has been generating over 480mw of electricity daily from Kwale/Okpai Independent Power Plant (IPP) phase one which is in Ndokwa land.

``Out of this number, 450mw is transferred to Obosi Power Station in Anambra State, yet Ndokwa land does not enjoy this as there is no power step-down from the Kwale/Okpai plant in Ndokwa.

``There is no care for the level of avoidable devastation our people and environment suffer due to this gas exploitation,’’ Enebeli said.

The union boss said that the Ndokwa Federal Constituency had no Federal presence except the Nigeria Prison Service in Kwale.

He urged the Federal Government to provide Ndokwa land with social amenities and Federal institutions that would create massive employment opportunity for the youth. (NAN)

LEADERS UNDERGO NON-VIOLENCE TRAINING IN SOUTH AFRICA

Leaders of former agitators in the Niger Delta returned to the country on Monday night from South Africa where they underwent non-violence/leadership and business development training.

Twenty one of the 33 leaders in the first batch of the training arrived aboard South Africa Airways alongside the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Chairman, Presidential Amnesty Programme, Hon. Kingsley Kuku.

The leader of the team, Reuben Wilson from Bayelsa State, who spoke to journalists at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, said the training expanded the horizon of participants.

He said it afforded the delegates a first-hand opportunity to see other Niger Delta youths excelling as pilots and instructors at the African Union Aviation Academy in Mafikeng.

Wilson applauded Hon. Kuku’s leadership role in the Niger Delta and his focused management of the amnesty programme, which he said is a huge success.

“We, the leaders, are very happy with the Federal Government and Hon. Kuku for fulfilling another promise made to us when we accepted amnesty in 2009. We have now learnt how to resolve conflicts using non-violence principles and that is what we are going to be practising. We have given our commitment to the government to maintain peace in the Niger Delta and we are not going back on it.

W“Thirty three of us from the nine states in the Niger Delta travelled to South Africa for this training and I’m happy to report that everything went well. We are now back home as ambassadors of peace. What they taught us in South Africa is what we will take to our respective states,” he said.

The team leader listed the benefits of the programme to include the opportunity for Niger Delta youths to become commercial airline pilots.

"Some of our brothers, including my younger brother, are now commercial pilots and instructors. We never thought this could happen."

Head of Media and Communications in the Presidential Amnesty Office, Mr Daniel Alabrah, also told airport correspondents that the Kingian non-violence training was yet another opportunity to reinforce the message of non-violence as one of the solutions to the Niger Delta agitation for development.

He disclosed that the leaders were awarded certificates by the Emory University in the United States of America after they were personally trained by renowned American civil rights activist, ordained minister and compatriot of the late Martin Luther King Jr., Dr Bernard LaFayette.

The training was facilitated by the Foundation for Ethnic Harmony in Nigeria (FEHN).

Alabrah said the amnesty programme continues to improve on its success story.

"When the amnesty programme started, a lot of people did not believe it would get this far. Today, our youths are being trained as commercial pilots and instructors in the aviation ind ustry. Others are getting internationally certified skills in various vocational fields aparom those that are in formal educational institutions in Nigeria and about 20 countries in the world,” he said.

FORMER AGITATORS IMPRESS LATE MARTIN LUTHER KING JR's COMPATRIOT

 Who says pleasant surprises are in short supply in the amnesty programme? Yesterday's violent agitators are before our very eyes becoming today's peace advocates and campaigners.

Today (Tuesday, 27 November, 2012 ), leaders of former Niger Delta agitators undergoing the Kingian Non-Violence/Leadership and Business Development Training in South Africa practically waoh-ed renowned American non-violence advocate, Dr Bernard LaFayette Jr., a compatriot and close associate of the late civil rights leader, Dr Martin Luther King Jr., with their understanding of the Kingian non-violence principle.

The leaders had made brilliant presentations (yes, 'Generals' in training) after their individual groups discussion on leadership values and non-violence principles. For this, they got a standing 'shake, shake, shake' from their trainers from the Foundation for Ethnic Harmony in Nigeria (FEHN).

But hear Dr LaFayette: "I'm very impressed with your understanding of the concept of non-violence. You have all shown a very good grasp of the training you have received in just the first day. With what I see in these young men, there's hope for Nigeria.

"Already, I'm considering asking some of you to become trainers in non-violence principles (Another post-training engagement prospect, you would say). What that means is that you will join me to take this message to other parts of Africa and the world."

The training continues tomorrow.

The delegation (first batch of 31 leaders) will later visit places like the Nigeria High Commission in Pretoria, the aviation training schools in Mafikeng and Midrand, Cape Town, Soweto, and Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years, before returning to Nigeria.


DANIEL ALABRAH
Tuesday, 27 November, 2012

AMNESTY TRAINEES DESIGN VOLTAGE REGULATOR

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA

PRESIDENTIAL AMNESTY PROGRAMME

 

AMNESTY TRAINEES DESIGN VOLTAGE REGULATOR

 

Trainees under the Presidential Amnesty Programme for Niger Delta youths have recorded yet another feat, this time in Ghana as they have designed an electrical equipment that regulates power voltage.

 

Known as the Magnetic Box, it regulates low and high voltage with a built-in timer.

The equipment was among several other products displayed by the trainees at a mini-exhibition during their graduation from the National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI) in Accra.

 

One hundred and ninety eight (198) delegates underwent training in Welding and Fabrication, Electrical Installation, Auto Mechanic, and Plumbing/Pipe Fitting at five centres across the country.

 

Speaking at the event, an elated Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Ghana, Ambassador Ademola Onafowokan, said the feat achieved by the trainees was “another milestone in Nigeria’s endeavor to create a pool of skilled individuals.”

 

The envoy, who paid glowing tributes to the late President Umaru Yar’Adua for the amnesty initiative, said the graduates are living testimonies to the laudable vision of the Nigerian government.

 

“President Goodluck Jonathan and other Nigerians are very proud of these youths who have demonstrated resilience and hard work,” the High Commissioner said.

 

He advised them to synergise and work together to become self-reliant entrepreneurs and employers of labour with the skills they have acquired.

 

Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta/Chairman, Presidential Amnesty Programme, Hon. Kingsley Kuku, in his remarks, equally commended the trainees for their invention and innovativeness.

 

His words: “Many youths in the Niger Delta did not believe in the amnesty offer but you did. Today, some of your former colleagues are also in various institutions in Nigeria and overseas.

 

“The fact is that the amnesty programme is a success. Unfortunately, this has resulted in fresh agitation by youths in the Niger Delta who want to be part of the programme. Every day, youths in the region protest just because they want to belong to the programme. Now its success has become our albatross,” the PAP chairman said.

 

While thanking the Ghanaian government for its support for the programme, Hon. Kuku advised the graduates to think about how to be self-employed in partnership with their colleagues.

 

“Your vision should not be to look for government job,” he added even as he assured those who want to be entrepreneurs that the Amnesty Office will support them with tools and start-up packages.

 

Earlier, the NVTI Executive Director, Mr Stephen Amponsah, said the institute was happy to be a part of Nigeria’s effort to empower its youths through vocational skills.

 

According to him, vocational training is important to national development as it can stem the tide of criminal activities as well as alleviate poverty and generate employment.

 

Responding on behalf of the graduates, Mr Amachree Otelemaba, said they were initially skeptical about the amnesty programme.

 

“We thank President Goodluck Jonathan and our big brother, Hon. Kuku, for this opportunity given to us. We never knew the programme will be a success but we decided to try. Now we have been trained and have acquired skills in different areas, which will make us better in life,” he said.

 

Otelemaba appealed to the Nigerian government to create opportunities for engagement so they can put to use the skills acquired.

 

Dignitaries at the event included former Deputy Speaker of the Nigerian House of Representatives, Hon. Chibudom Nwuche, Senator David Brigidi, Ghana’s Minister of Interior, who was represented by Mr Sam Amankwah, Mr T.K. Gyau, and the Dean, Faculty of Engineering, University of Ghana/Chairman, NVTI Board, Prof. Richard Bani.

 

DANIEL ALABRAH

HEAD, MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS

PRESIDENTIAL AMNESTY OFFICE

November 17, 2012

TIME FOR BIG BUSINESS IN NIGER DELTA- BY DANIEL ALABRAH

 http://newsdiaryonline.com/time-for-big-business-in-niger-delta-by-daniel-alabrah/

Following a memorandum by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) on the growth and industrialization of the oil producing states in Nigeria, the Federal Government recently approved 44 projects for the Niger Delta. According to the Information Minister, Labaran Maku, the projects include the construction of roads, bridges (and) environmental projects as part of the phased development of the region. The projects are expected to spur economic development of the region.
The move represents a welcome response to calls on the Federal Government to apply the resounding success of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) as a lever for the limitless economic, industrial and social changes in the Niger Delta. The argument is that if peace is the outcome of amnesty, there must be a progression that we must refer to as the fallout of peace. The process does not terminate at the point where we have drawn on amnesty to achieve a cessation of hostilities and attained calm in the region.
There must be a continuum where the new thesis of peace must also give birth to a new set of enterprises. We must relate amnesty to the rubric of dialectics. Only then can we understand the full potential and advantages of what the scheme has offered the country and its citizens.
If the pre-amnesty era produced in the Niger Delta a horde of armed lords and their acolytes that were protesting the hijack of their God-given resources and the resultant clashes between them and the state crippled the nation’s economy and scared local and foreign investors, it follows that a post-amnesty era must logically have its own soil (conditions) of productive (non-destructive) result. We must see the Federal Government’s move on these 44 projects in the Niger Delta in that dialectical light.
Amnesty’s peace is not peace for the sake of peace. It is a soil in which we must sow seeds of development and investment. It is a soil from which will arise “a strong manufacturing base… so that we could offer opportunities for employment, innovations and dignified living to all Nigerians,” according to the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Chairman, Presidential Amnesty Programme, Hon. Kingsley Kuku. The Niger Delta should now be the fulcrum of the country’s industrial development and partnership with foreign investors, thanks to amnesty.
To get an objective appreciation of what this piece is about, let us look at the pattern of Chinese economic intervention in Africa in recent years. China has been initiating apex-level contact with the continent lately. Recently, President Hu Jintao led economic-cum-diplomatic delegations to at least five African nations. He was in Nigeria, Tanzania, Mauritius, Senegal and Mali. A close check revealed that some of these were societies in transition, where after conflict resulting from challenges in nation-building, a definite path is now being chosen as an enduring foundation for progress.
The Chinese are a calculating lot. They engage in business in societies that have potential for growth; where there is peace and stability along with the generous provision of renewable resources and sustainable energy. Amnesty has the paved way for Nigeria to assume these magnets for investments. It is conceivable, therefore, that the Chinese, whose country has effectively emerged as the world’s second biggest economic player, would see Niger Delta’s bouquet of developmental invectives through the amnesty programme and the Federal Government’s initiative as a green light to invest in the area.

RIVERS: Ex-agitators Donate Relief Materials To Flood Victims

 

SUNDAY, 04 NOVEMBER 2012 00:00 FROM ANN GODWIN, PORT HARCOURT SUNDAY MAGAZINE - CITYFILE

 

TOUCHED by the effects of the raging flood in the Niger Delta, ex-agitators have raised N52.7 million among themselves to assist displaced victims. The amount was contributed by the 26,358 former militants, who were granted amnesty by the Federal Government.

The Guardian gathered that the group decided to give up N2,000 each from their monthly stipend in order to procure relief materials and help ameliorate the suffering of flood victims in the region.

Investigations at the various camps in Rivers State revealed there were inadequate mattresses, especially for children and pregnant women. There is also lack of potable water, shortage of foodstuff and toiletries.

At the camps, some of the inmates suffered mostly from diarrhea, malaria, pneumonia, cough, catarrh, and complications of anaemia and malnutrition.

Last week, in Ula-Upata Camp of Ahoada East local government area, a baby of about two years died of severe anaemia, as confirmed by doctors at the Ahoada General Hospital. This is due mostly to the over-crowded, poor living and sanitary conditions in the camp, as many children sleep on the bare floor or on thin sheets, which do not protect them from the cold tiled floor of the Model Primary School, recently built by the state.

Apparently concerned by the plight of victims, the ex-militants used the money they raised to procure items ranging from bags of rice, beans, garri, palm oil, tin tomatoes, toiletries, cartons of indomie noodles, mattresses, and treated mosquito nets, among others.

Special Adviser to the President on Amnesty, Kingsley Kuku, while handing over the relief materials loaded in two trucks to the Rivers State Ministry of Special Duties, described the donation by the ex-agitators as exceptional and a great sacrifice, noting that some wealthy Nigerians had not considered it necessary to extend their care and love to the displaced; rather it was people who were written off that deemed it fit to lead the way in demonstrating genuine concern to the victims.

Represented by the Head, Reintegration Department and Technical Assistant of the Office of the Special Adviser, Lawrence Pepple, Kuku explained that similar items would be delivered to Bayelsa, Edo, Delta and Cross River states. “We are distributing the materials procured by the ex-militants according to the ratio of the worst affected areas from the statistics of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA),” Kuku said.

While frowning at the alleged diversion of materials in various camps across the region, the presidential adviser noted that the relief items were procured directly by a committee set up by the Amnesty Office to avoid mismanagement of the funds.    He urged state governments in the region to ensure transparency in the distribution of the items donated, stressing that the gesture was a huge sacrifice from the ex-agitators.

The state Commissioner for Special Duties, Mr. Emeka Nwogu, who received the items, expressed surprise at the gesture, saying he did not expect to receive such volume of materials from the ex-agitators.

“I am surprised getting these quantity of relief materials from the ex-militants. These are people who had been written off while some big men are out there enjoying themselves and have not contributed one kobo to assist the displaced persons. This is a big challenge to all of us and their action is commendable,” he said.

Also, Rivers Professionals led by Alagbo Ross George and Mr. Sibe Robbison have extended their love to the flood victims by donating relief materials to some camps across the state.

Worried by the continuous health hazards faced by the victims, the University of Port Harcourt Medical Students Association (PUMSA) in conjunction with its specialist doctors from its alumni, has embarked on medical outreaches to the internally displaced persons.

The group, last week, donated drugs, including anti-malaria tablets for adults and children, haematinics, anti-hypertensives, antibiotics, worm expellants, antibacterial and antifungal creams, painkillers, antibacterial soaps, toothpastes, toothbrushes, toilet rolls and sanitary pads.

According to the president of the group, David Briggs-Otto, the gesture was aimed at preventing the victims from contacting diseases, considering the unhygienic conditions in which they are forced to live in.