N20b amnesty programme budget inadequate – Boroh

The Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, Brigadier General Paul Boroh (rtd), on Tuesday said the N20 billion proposed for the Presidential Amnesty Programme in the 2016 Appropriation Bill was inadequate.
Boroh made this known while defending the programme’s before the Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs on in Abuja.
Boroh, who is the coordinator of the amnesty programme, said N64 billion was originally proposed for the programme for 2016, but was reduced to N20 billion, leaving a shortfall of N44 billion.
He expressed concern that the 30,000 ‎ex-Niger Delta militants currently undergoing training abroad would be adversely affected should the proposed amount be approved by the National Assembly.
He said: “I urge you, most sincerely, to consider an upward review from the proposed N20 billion to N64.8 billion for the sustenance and re-integration of ex-agitators in the amnesty programme for the 2016 fiscal year.
“The proposed N7.8 billion for stipends and allowances from the budget proposal can only accommodate 9,868 ex-agitators for the 2016 fiscal year‎, excluding 15,132 ex-agitators.”
In his remarks, the Chairman of the committee, Senator Peter Nwaobo‎shi, said the committee would scrutinize the proposal presented, with a view to addressing the issues raised by the president’s aide.
Nwaoboshi, however, said the committee would vet the list of the 30,000 ex-agitators submitted to it to ensure that they were genuine.
Nwaoboshi also asked the presidential aide to immediately disengage the 247 consultants who had been working for the programme as agreed by the committee.
He said the directive became necessary in view of the fact that the economic reality in the country could not ‎support the engagement of such number of consultants.
NAN.