Politics
Avengers: Reps fault FG’s confrontational approach
The House of Representatives has called on the Federal Government to immediately initiate a “sustainable plan” to end the militancy in the Niger Delta, adding that the “confrontational approaches” adopted by the government so far would only worsen the bombing of oil facilities by militants.
The lawmakers stated this in a resolution on Wednesday, while also calling on the government to secure additional N35.8billion funding for the amnesty programme in a bid to guarantee the continuous payment of allowances and training of ex-agitators.
The resolution was sequel to a motion jointly sponsored by 31 members of the House, cutting across the six geo-political zones of the country to draw attention to the renewed militancy in the Niger Delta by the Niger Delta Avengers.
A member from Cross River State, Mr. Ekpenyong Ayi, who led the debate, said the N35.8bn was actually a shortfall of the original N55.8bn proposed by the Presidential Amnesty Office as its 2016 budget.
He said: “The House is worried that the N20bn proposed by the Federal Government for the Presidential Amnesty Office in the 2016 budget is lower than the N55.8bn proposed by the Presidential Amnesty Office and the amount is grossly inadequate to sustain the payment of stipends to 25,000 ex-agitators, pay in-training allowances, tuition fees and other commitments.”
According to Ayi, the “massive cut” in the amnesty budget contributed largely to the resurgence of militancy in the oil region, with production output dropping to a record “990,000 barrels per day by June 1.”
“The incessant attacks on oil facilities have led to Nigeria losing its place as Africa’s largest oil producer because its oil output has fallen to a 22-year low of 1.4mbd as against the budgetary target of 2.2mbpd, and by June 1, 2016, it was about 990,000bpd”, the lawmaker stated.
The motion was passed without further debate at the session, which was presided over by the Deputy Speaker, Mr. Suleiman Lasun, to underscore the urgency of the security and economic development in the Niger Delta.
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