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)