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Amnesty Programme Objective Not Achieved, Don’t Shelve It, Diri Tells FG ….Ex-Militants Protest Over PAP
Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has appealed to Nigerian government to jettison any plan to end the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), saying that the programme was yet to achieve its objectives.
Diri insisted that PAP is yet to achieve its mandate, saying even the disarmament phase of the scheme has not been fully realised as arms and ammunition are still in the wrong hands in the Niger Delta.
The governor, who spoke when he received the Interim Administrator, PAP, Maj.-Gen. Barry Ndiomu (rtd), in Government House, Yenagoa, warned that any attempt to shut down the programme would plunge the region into another round of unrest.
He said: “The amnesty programme has three legs. The first is disarmament, a process, said to be completed; then the demobilisation leg and finally, the reintegration leg. On the issue of disarmament, can we completely convince ourselves that we have been able to completely disarm the Niger Delta of armaments in our region?
“So, while we are in the final stage of reintegration, you and I know that within our Niger Delta, we still have very many arms, non-state actors are in possession of arms, well that has been said to be completed but I like to state clearly here that the process is not 100per cent completed.
“Now, I will like to look more on the issue of reintegration. The reintegration is more like a continuous process of building human capacity and for you to continue to build human capacity, it follows that the amnesty programme must be on, and I’m happy while listening to you that you have already taken that up.
“It will be wrong for anybody at this point to bring the amnesty programme to a close. That will amount to being insensitive to what is going on in the region.”
While acknowledging that the Federal Government has soft-pedalled in its decision to shut down the programme, Diri said the best gift the government could give to the Niger Delta people is to allow the continuity of PAP.
The governor urged Ndiomu to deal with the challenges in the programme and write his name in gold, insisting that the problems are huge enough to contemplate closing the scheme.
“Let me use this opportunity of your courtesy call to call on the FG that the best thing and the best gift to the Niger Delta is to continue to support and keep the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) going.
“As you have rightly stated, yes, there are challenges, but then the amnesty programme has also recorded some degree of successes. Those challenges are the reasons our people keep coming and going. So, for me at every given opportunity, it is a time to write your name in gold and indeed, writing the name of your state, Bayelsa, in gold.
“If you have come and found certain challenges, we know you have the capacity to confront those challenges. Whatever you can do to ensure that the amnesty programme will continue to exist, please do them and let our people be the final beneficiaries of this programme,” Diri said.
The governor called on Ndiomu to avoid the temptation of politicising the amnesty office, saying that before the birth of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the people were one and the same.
He said: “I’ve always reminded us that before APC and PDP, we were one and the same people. Those, who sacrificed their lives, like Boro did, didn’t do that for political reasons and therefore, I’ll like to call on you not to politicize the amnesty programme”.
Diri observed that Ndiomu was the third person from Bayelsa to man the amnesty office, and appealed to him to carry the state along in all his activities to avoid regrets.
He frowned at the domiciling of the amnesty programme in Abuja and said his administration had donated a parcel of land to erect a befitting office for the scheme and bring it home.
“The amnesty programme as it operates today is more of Abuja. It’s almost an alien programme to our people, except people who will visit your offices in Abuja and I’ll like to call on you to ensure that the headquarters of the amnesty programme is sited in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state. To this end, the state government has already donated a parcel of land for that purpose,” he said.
Diri called for collaboration among the state government, the amnesty programme and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to avoid duplication of projects and programmes.
On the ongoing clean-up of Ogoni, the governor noticed the snail-paced movement of the programme, and reminded the Federal Government that many areas of the Niger Delta needed remediation.
He said: “We have also been agitating that the clean-up in Niger Delta shouldn’t be for Ogoni alone. We all know that the whole environment of the Niger Delta has been polluted.
“Bayelsa is not an exception, so remedying our environment should be one of the key responsibilities that PAP should also look into in partnership with other ministries and agencies of government.”
On his part, Ndiomu solicited the support of the Bayelsa government for his administration.
He said that he was poised to reform the amnesty programme to make it more impactful to the beneficiaries and results oriented.
Meanwhile, travellers and motorists were stranded, last Friday at the East-West Road as ex-Niger Delta agitators from the three phases of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, barricaded the Mbiama Bridge at the Ahoada West axis of Rivers State and Bayelsa State axis of the road for several hours.
The ex-agitators were protesting the alleged delisting of about 7,000 beneficiaries from the data base of the Presidential Amnesty programme by the Interim Administrator, Major General Barry Ndiomu (rtd).
They accused the interim administrator of the Presidential Amnesty office of trying to cause unrest in the Niger Delta region, which had experienced relative peace since the inception of the programme.
They called on President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately intervene by reinstating their delisted members.
The Bayelsa State Chairman of Phases One Ex-agitators, Mr. Ebitei Ifiemi also known as General Bull, said that the interim administrator should hold a town hall meeting to address the issue with leaders or risk another round of unrest in the Niger Delta.
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Fubara Assures Completion Of Ongoing Projects In Rivers …As Airport Road Bypass Hits 65% Completion
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has reassured the people of Rivers State of his administration’s commitment to the completion of the various ongoing infrastructure projects located in different parts of the state.
The governor, who gave the assurance last Friday while inspecting the level of work on the new Airport Road Bypass in Port Harcourt, said the project had reached 65 per cent completion stage.
According to him, in spite of recent developments on the political scene, he remains in “high spirits,” and is ready to continue with the task of governance, especially the delivery of projects that will impact positively on the lives of the people.
“I want to assure our people that notwithstanding the situation of things, one thing that I can promise everyone, is that every good work that we have started, by the special grace of God, will continue and we will complete them. We’re in high spirits. Like, we always say, Rivers First,” he said.
Fubara said that his administration conceived the idea of constructing a bypass to the Airport Road to create an alternative route for the communities around the airport and avoid a situation where some of their activities could cause obstruction along the main highway leading to the Port Harcourt International Airport.
“We’ve always had these issues where the community may want to express their anger or dissatisfaction over some activities of the airport authorities, in the process they always block the airport road.
” We thought that in this modern society, such actions are not necessary anymore because whenever it happens, it affects the economic activities of the state. So we liaised with the community and created this bypass,” he said.
The governor, who was conducted round the project site by the contractors, expressed delight at the pace of work on the road, disclosing that the total project will be delivered before October 2026.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has declared that the State Secretariat Complex which is undergoing massive reconstruction will be ready for use by the first quarter of 2027.
Fubara stated this on Monday after a tour of the multiple and expansive high rise buildings, located in the Old GRA, Port Harcourt.
The governor, who had undertaken a similar tour of the project earlier this year, said he decided to revisit the site to confirm the extent of the job that has been done so far.
“We just did a tour of the renovation of the Secretariat. I have been seeing the outer part of it wearing a new look, but I wanted to really confirm how much job is going on, most importantly, the inside and that is what I just went to inspect myself.
“I think that with the progress of work here, by the grace of God, I believe that by the first quarter of next year, it will be handed over to the government. Like I did promise, every job that we are handling, we will ensure that we put them to completion,” he said.
The Tide reports that the Rivers State Secretariat was constructed in the 1970s, shortly after Rivers State was created in 1967. It is a massive complex consisting of multiple high-rise buildings, including the 17-storey “Point Block”, the 10-storey “Podium Block” along with three other 7-storey buildings tagged “Blocks A, B and C”.
The ongoing renovation is a comprehensive and transformative upgrade aimed at modernizing the entire complex. It involves structural rehabilitation, improved office layouts, installation of modern facilities, and upgrading of utilities to meet present-day administrative standards.
The project is designed to create a more conducive, efficient, and technology-driven work environment for civil servants.
The 23 For OK & P-BAT Movement, a political pressure group championing the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the governorship ambition of Honourable Ogundu Kingsley Chinda across the 23 Local Government Areas of Rivers State ahead of the 2027 elections, has congratulated both leaders on their victories at the recently concluded All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries.
In a statement issued by the National Coordinator, Amb. Goodluck Braide, who also doubles as the President of the Renewed Hope Multi-Purpose Co-Operative Limited, President Tinubu’s victory at the APC presidential primaries in Rivers State was described as a reflection of his growing popularity and acceptance among Nigerians. The group noted that since assuming office in 2023, the President has implemented bold economic reforms aimed at repositioning the country for sustainable growth, prosperity, and national development.
According to the group, the outcome of the primaries is an indication of what to expect in the 2027 general elections.
The group also congratulated Honourable Ogundu Kingsley Chinda on his emergence as the APC governorship flag bearer in Rivers State, describing the primary election process as peaceful, transparent, free, and fair. It stated that Chinda’s emergence signals increasing political unity among Rivers people across ethnic and political divides.
According to the movement, the APC made a strategic and wise decision in presenting Chinda as its governorship candidate, citing his leadership experience, competence, charisma, and proven capacity as qualities that position the party for victory in the forthcoming governorship election in the state.
Amb. Goodluck Braide, National Coordinator
The statement further acknowledged the role of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, praising his political foresight, resilience, and commitment to maintaining unity within the political structure in Rivers State while ensuring the state remains relevant in national politics.
The group equally commended the leadership of the APC National Chairman, Professor Nentanwe Yilwatda, noting that under his leadership since July 2025, the party has witnessed renewed strength, unity, and political growth ahead of the 2027 elections.
It also congratulated the people of Rivers State and Nigerians generally for their continued support and confidence in the Tinubu administration, which it said has made notable progress in promoting national cohesion, social integration, and economic development.
