‘Amnesty Programme On Course’

Mr Piriye Kiyaramo, Liaison Officer, Presidential Amnesty Programme in Bayelsa State, has said that the programme is on course to ensure enduring peace in the Niger-Delta region.
Kiyaramo made the statement when he paid a courtesy visit to the Executive Director, Bayelsa Social Media in Yenagoa on Tuesday.
Kiyaramo appealed to the media to practise peace journalism, saying it opened up literacy for non-violence and creativity as applied to the practical job of everyday reporting.
“Journalists who are mindful of peace building and conflict prevention try to uncover the causes behind a conflict and true goals of all participants in the conflict, while making sure to humanise all victims of the conflict.
“Part of the ethical guidelines for this kind of reporting is to bring out people that use peaceful measures and speak out against war and violence and document the suffering and loss on all side.
“There is need for us to do away with politics; journalism is to impact positively to the society and we must avoid operating in isolation,” he said.
On integration and re-integration of ex-agitators in the Niger Delta to the Amnesty programme, Kiyaramo said the third phase had commenced.
He said the reintegration of the ex-agitators began after the successful implementation of the disarmament and demobilisation phases of the programme.
“The Amnesty programme is at re-integration stage; we have come to Bayelsa to open an office to enable us relate to the ex-agitators.
“The aim of establishing the office in Bayelsa is to bring the programme closer to the location of ex-agitators in order to achieve effective coordination of the activities,” the officer said.
In his response, Mr John Idumange, Director, Bayelsa Social Media, acknowledged the activities of the Presidential Amnesty Programme in the state and assured the agency of support to facilitate its programmes.
Idumange, also Senior Special Assistant to Bayelsa Governor on Research and Social Media, said peace journalism was imperative “for us to achieve peaceful environment.
“The Amnesty programme was established to mitigate violence in the south-south region and we must push forward for the interest of our people.
He decried pipeline vandalism in the region and urged those involved to desist from the activity.
“Blowing of pipeline is criminality.
“‘Stop the bombing and remember our environment and our generations to come because the biodiversity loss is at accelerated speed,” he said. (NAN)
OOC/JCE