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Bloated Ex-Militants’ List Threatens Amnesty

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Fears over the sustenance of the Amnesty Programme for Niger
Delta ex-combatants/youths are growing higher by the day unless the state
governments, Joint Task Force teams as well as the SSS and police with the LG
administrations in Niger Delta finetune their strategies to rid the scheme of
fake persons.

The Amnesty programme office has also canvassed a special
training for the ex-agitators on special skills of securing oil and gas
facilities with a view to engaging the youths after graduation into a Pipeline
Security Contract to curbing vandalisation and theft in the Niger Delta region.

These are emerging from the speech of the Special Adviser to
the President on Amnesty programme, Hon Kingsley Kuku while defending the 2013
budget of the programme in a meeting with the Senate Committee on Niger Delta
in the National Assembly, Abuja

Hon Kuku in a heart to heart talk with the senators said
that even with the new enrollment of about 3,642 ex-militants in its batch 3,
overwhelming number of acclaimed ex-militants were continually pushing their
way to the programme, by creating pockets of violence and calling for
recognition and attention.

According to the Special Adviser, the state governments and
the local administrations had also failed to stand on their feet to ensure that
this programme outlives its mission by using its offices to bar fake candidates
from hijacking the system.

He also pointed out that if the security agencies, JTF, SSS
and police in the states had taken their intelligence work seriously , the
issue of fake claimants would hardly arise.

Kuku made it clear that a major crisis faces the programme
if thousands of youths keep springing up every now and then to claim right of
enlisting into the training. This he said translates to huge extra funding and
more security expenditures to curb the disturbances by the restive youths.

The SA expressed the fear that such huge unexpected funding
could easily ‘destroy’ the lofty ideas and mission of the ‘presidential amnesty
programme.’

Responding to questions from the senators on how the
programme seek to ensure that the ex-agitators did not go back to the creeks
after the trainings, Kuku said the programme was not only training them but
also evolving schemes which could engage them meaningfully.

The Presidential Adviser also noted that the programme was
planning to train the ex-militants on security to enable them secure oil and
gas facilities.

This he said would give the youths who know their environs
more to secure the pipelines and save NNPC and the multinational companies,
huge funds expended on security which had yielded little results.

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Why Wike Is Playing God In Rivers -Asari Dokubo

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A former Niger Delta militant, Asari Dokubo, has claimed that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, is “playing god” in the current political crisis that has pitched him against the Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara.
Dokubo also chided President Bola Tinubu for, according to him, handing over “Rivers and Bayelsa” to the ex-governor.
“He is now playing god. It is dead on arrival, all those things that he is doing,” Dokubo said in a video that surfaced on X.com on Monday.
He added, “I advise my friend, President Bola Tinubu; what you are doing to all Ijaw, Ikwerre people in Rivers State (sic). You took Rivers state and gave it one man”
In April, Fubara revealed that the administration has raised the monthly Internally Generated Revenue of the state from N12 billion which he met upon assumption of office to N27 billion.
Dokubo described the development as commendable while alleging that the governor only had access to N6 billion when he assumed office.
“The governor had come out to say that the IGR for Rivers State is now N27bn up from N12bn. The governor is even being economical with the truth. When the governor came in, they were giving him a paltry sum of N6bn,” he said.
Meanwhile, in another twist to the ongoing crisis, Fubara on Monday said that he would set up a panel of inquiry to look into the affairs of governance in the state.
He disclosed this during the swearing-in and administration of the oath of office on Dagogo Iboroma, SAN, as the Attorney General of the state and Commissioner for Justice.
The governor criticized recent comments by the former Attorney-General of the State and Justice Commissioner, Prof. Zacchaeus Adangor, SAN, who resigned from his cabinet over a fortnight ago and urged the new Attorney-General to defend the state.
He stated, “It is not the one that while you were here… the only thing you do is to sabotage the government.
“Instead of you to close your mouth, you publicly claim that you’re a learned person to tell people that you’re the Chief Law Officer. Chief Law Officer, you were here and went to stand before a Magistrate Court.
“At that time you didn’t remember that you’re a Chief Law Officer going against the ethics of your job.”

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Investors, Tourists To Get Visa Within 48 Hours, FG Assures

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The Federal Executive Council chaired by President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of a tripartite committee to streamline visa processes and acquisition for investors interested in investing in Nigeria.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, revealed this, yesterday, after the FEC meeting held at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
“Our visa processes are becoming cumbersome. The ease of doing business is also tied to our visa processes.
“Going forward, those investors, tourists would find it easy to acquire a visa within the next 48 hours,” Idris said.
The meeting which began on Monday was adjourned till Tuesday to allow for other “far-reaching” decisions, the information minister had told journalists.

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Panel To Probe Governance In Rivers Underway -Fubara …Swears In Iboroma As New Attorney-General

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Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has declared his readiness to set up a panel of inquiry to look into the affairs of governance in the state.
Fubara disclosed this during the swearing-in and administration of the oath of office on Dagogo Iboroma, SAN, as the new Attorney General of the state and Commissioner for Justice.
The governor criticised recent comments by the former Attorney-General of the State and Justice Commissioner, Prof. Zacchaeus Adangor, SAN, who resigned from his cabinet over a fortnight ago and urged the new Attorney-General to defend the state.
Fubara stated, “It is not the one that while you were here… the only thing you do is to sabotage the government.
“Instead of you to close your mouth, you publicly claim that you’re a learned person to tell people that you’re the Chief Law Officer. Chief Law Officer, you were here and went to stand before a Magistrate Court.
“At that time you didn’t remember that you’re a Chief Law Officer going against the ethics of your job.”
Addressing the new AG, the governor said, “You have a big task. As it is today in the local parlance, they say the jungle has matured. We will be setting a panel of inquiry to investigate the affair of governance.”
The governor further said there was a deliberate attempt to sabotage his administration, saying, “If we disagree, no matter how bad it is, it should be resolved.
“But it has become very clear that this disagreement there is no headway to it, and for many reasons, there is very visible evidence that there is sabotage, a deliberate attempt to sabotage this administration.
“Maybe where they are they are telling them nothing will happen, it is happening here live, we have our own legislators that are performing their duties according to the Constitution. So that record is threatened.”

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