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NASS REPUBLIC: Unanswered questions as Omo-Agege debates amnesty programme. Two other stories, and a quote to remember

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2020 budget to be passed on November 28

Omo-Agege’s kick

On August 23, the Deputy President of the Senate, Ovie Omo-Agege, expressed disapproval over Federal Government’s alleged move to scrap the 11-year-old Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) for repentant Niger Delta militants in December 2020.

Speaking while hosting a socio-political organisation, the New Era Forum, in Abuja, he said: “I don’t think that the timing is right for the amnesty programme to be scrapped. We have challenges right now in the North East, the ravages of Boko Haram, banditry in North West and North Central. Those are enough challenges already in this country. I don’t believe that this is the time to reawaken the agitations of militancy in the Niger Delta region.

“It is my hope and expectation that the policy makers who are around Mr. President will convey this to him that to the extent that there is any such plan at this time, it is premature and ill-timed. That is not to say that this programme must stay in perpetuity. But we don’t believe that its goals have been completely achieved.”

Omo-Agege’s concerns are not unfounded but they do raise a number of questions viz:

1. How long is enough for the programme to last in order to achieve its goals?

2. Is the programme a mere instrument that helps calm the nerves of the militants, and not assist them become responsible members of the Nigerian polity?

3. Is termination of the programme to be interpreted as a ‘sin’ against the Niger Delta people?

4, Besides, how can the integrity of the data base of militants be established as speculations mount over manipulation of figures?

While Nigerians ponder these questions, what perhaps comes clear at this juncture is that the programme has become a tool in the hands of politicians and now serves as a conduit for large scale stealing of public funds.

The Buhari-led administration is challenged to critically review the amnesty programme, drawing up timelines for its eventual termination.

The scandals around its leadership is also a sufficient ground to institute far reaching investigations into its activities.

PAP cannot run forever. And, this is one reality that the Niger Delta people must learn to embrace.


NASS MEMORY LANE

Who said,

“The unwarranted attack is not the character of the Igbo. It is most worrisome and even inconceivable that the attackers will choose an auspicious occasion where our people are celebrating and showcasing our rich culture to exhibit such unbecoming and condemnable conduct in the name of agitation. No, that was not agitation, no right thinking human will identify with such behaviour.?”

Answer: See end of post


On Kabir’s short fuse 

The Chairman, House of Representatives’ Committee on Works, Abubakar Kabir, on August 27, lashed out at the contractor handling the ongoing Abuja-Kaduna-Kano road contract.

His anger was over the committee’s findings suggesting that after about 27 months of commencement of work on the project, only less than 10 per cent has been completed.

Projected for completion in May 2021, Kabir and his team warned that the contract risks revocation if the contractor failed to deliver the project within the scheduled time.

He had said: “We cannot continue to lose lives on this road,” as a result of the delay.

Kabir’s disclosures, though welcome, must be placed in proper context. The following posers may, therefore, arise:

Read also: NASS REPUBLIC: When excuses for suspending probes sound hollow. Two other stories, and a quote to remember

1, What is the project cost?
2, How much of the cost has been released to the contractor?
3, Does the extent of work not justify the 10% delivery claimed by Kabir and his team?
4, If the answer to (3) is yes, why a media trial instead of a formal report to the House?

No doubt, the oversight duties of lawmakers have continued to reveal the underbelly of government. However, while the import of these investigations cannot be overemphasized, it must be said that a more proactive response would yield better outcomes.

Until all the facts are laid bare, it is hoped that Kabir’s outburst was not meant for the optics as such would amount to grandstanding.

Heeding Abaribe’s concerns

Senator-Eyinnaya-Abaribe

On August 25, the Minority Leader of the Senate, Enyinnya Abaribe, condemned the alleged killing of some members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in Emene, Enugu, by security operatives. Also, he requested the governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, to set up a Judicial Panel of Inquiry (JDI) to investigate the killings.

In a statement by his Media Adviser, Uchenna Awom, Abaribe had said: “We are in a democracy where every agency of government, particularly the security apparatchik, must adhere strictly to rules of engagement that conform with international best practices in dealing with the civil populace.
“The last time I checked, Nigerians still enjoy freedom to associate freely. Nobody has told us that the Igbo youths’ meeting last Sunday was a gathering meant to launch attack on anybody. Who would they attack and for what? What informed the police and DSS deployment to the venue of the meeting?”

The issues raised by Abaribe are quite germaine and must not be pigeonholed as views expressed by an ethnic warrior.

The sanctity of human life is well guaranteed by the constitution while repression and oppression are conducts that cannot be cheered in a constitutional democracy.

It is, therefore, imperative for not just the Enugu State Government to set up an investigative panel to unravel what actually transpired, but for the Federal Government to trail the same path.

Brutality by agents of the state, under whatever guise, is condemnable and should be resisted.


Answer: Enyinnaya Abaribe

The statement was made by the Minority Leader of the Senate, Enyinnaya Abaribe, on August 18, 2019. He did in condemnation of the attack on former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu by members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), on August 17, 2019, in Nuremberg, Germany.

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