Amnesty Very Expensive, Go And Get A Job, Boroh Tells Militants
Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Brig.-Gen. Paul Boroh (retd), has said that President Muhammadu Buhari has no plans to enlist the Niger Delta Avengers or any other militant groups into the amnesty programme.
Boroh who said this while speaking on a television programme on Tuesday noted that he has no mandate to enlist more militants into the scheme, but to reintegrate the 30,000 ex-agitators already in their records.
Boroh also noted that it is more economical for the Federal Government to create jobs and get the militants to work, rather than enrolling or continue to pay them monthly stipends.
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He said: “Amnesty programme worldwide has a limit because it is a master piece strategy to resolve militancy. When that of Nigeria was established in 2009, it was supposed to exist for a particular time.”
“I do not intend to bring in more into the programme because that is not my mandate. My mandate is to reintegrate 30,000 ex-agitators into the programme that are already in the programme.”
“But this number is bloated because communities affected during the conflicts, government is also taking care of them. Some of them are undergoing skills acquisition and training.”
“I do not think that the Federal Government is going to have another amnesty programme, it is very expensive and presently, our economy is not in the right status. So, it should not be a permanent programme.”
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“It is better to gain an employment than wait for amnesty programme. Let us think of how to create jobs and develop the country. It is better to work than think of a programme that will give you a stipend every month,” Boroh added.
