The Presidential Amnesty Office has been advised to regularly interface with oil companies in the Niger-Delta region in order to sustain the valuable peace which they have built in the region.
This advice was given by the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) when its representative Elder Timi Kaiser Ogoriba held a meeting with the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Brigadier General Paul Boroh (rtd) recently in his office at Abuja.
Commending General Boroh over his tireless peace building efforts in the region, Elder Ogoriba said “You have done well in fixing our region and have proven that no army general turns his place to a war zone.
The peace you have brought has made our country’s revenue almost double from what it was during the crisis period and your Amnesty Programme deserves adequate funding to succeed because you are running a vital and security assignment”.
While responding, General Boroh (rtd) said “The present peace and stability built in the Niger Delta region was really a collective effort and collective responsibility which entails sacrifices made by President Muhammed Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and all interventionist agencies in the Niger Delta, efforts from ministries and parastatals like; Niger Delta ministry, Petroleum Resources, Works, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), NIMASA, etc.
The Presidential Amnesty Coordinator further hinted that the present administration is fully committed to developing and transforming the region which informed the PANDEF 16 point agenda being fine-tuned into the federal government 20 point Niger Delta development agenda and now has a constituted implementation planning committee handling this regional developmental assignment.
He commended PANDEF saying they have demonstrated that they are critical stakeholders in the process of building and maintaining peace in the region. He said PANDEF 16 point agenda has identified and articulated the region’s genuine needs and is also serving as a government working document towards the development of the Niger Delta.