Author: Gist Correspondent

Some former Niger Delta agitators have threatened to shut down oil facilities across the region over alleged marginalisation, lack of transparency and unfair treatment in the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP).

Operating under the banner of the Marginalised Original First-Phase Leaders of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, the ex-militants accused the Federal Government of sidelining those who were among the first to embrace the amnesty deal in 2009 in the interest of peace and economic stability.

In a petition addressed to President Bola Tinubu and the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the group alleged that the current Administrator of the PAP, Dr Dennis Otuaro, had excluded them from key decisions, training opportunities and other benefits of the programme.

The petition, signed by Excel Toriomo, Pius Wariyai and Ideye Granville, also called for a comprehensive forensic audit of the amnesty scheme, alleging widespread favouritism and exclusion.

Addressing journalists on Friday in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, the group said it had resolved to stage a protest in Abuja and, if ignored, proceed to shut down oil facilities in the Niger Delta.

They said they had formally notified the Federal Capital Territory Police Command of their planned protest, stressing that the action was intended to draw attention to their grievances and prevent a return to violence in the region.

According to the group, their continued advocacy for transparency, accountability and fairness within the amnesty programme had resulted in victimisation and exclusion.

“Our advocacy for transparency and fairness has led to our marginalisation and denial of our rightful place in the programme,” the group said.

They also lamented that their monthly stipend of N65,000 had remained unchanged since 2009, describing the amount as inadequate to meet basic living needs in the current economic climate.

“We surrendered our arms in 2009 and embraced peace in line with the Constitution. Our demand is not insubordination but a call for accountability, fairness and inclusion,” the group added.

However, the Presidential Amnesty Programme has denied the allegations. The Special Assistant on Media to the PAP Administrator, Mr Igoniko Oduma, dismissed claims of marginalisation, insisting that no beneficiary of the programme had been excluded.

“Let me say it clearly, nobody is marginalised,” Oduma said.

The development comes amid renewed calls for reforms within the amnesty programme to sustain peace and stability in the oil-rich Niger Delta region.