A QUIET lobby of the National Assembly by the Presidency may have begun over a planned expenditure of nearly N20 billion to deal with amnesty and other Niger Delta militancy issues. And it emerged yesterday that the government might be considering scaling down the number of militant camps from nearly 50 to less than 20.

It was not exactly clear what the money would be used for, though members of the Committee of the Presidential Amnesty for Niger Delta Militants have made it clear that there would be no cash for arms.

A reliable source in the National Assembly was not too clear on how the Presidency planned to source the funds to be used "either through virement or a supplementary appropriation bill."

The source added: "But I can tell you that it is being well received and members are considering giving whatever comes from the executive arm good reception and a swift passage."

Details were still fuzzy last night, but it was learnt that of the proposals made to deal with "matters related to the closure of 49 militant camps or thereabout, it was resolved that we should deal with only about 20 camps for now."

"It is the success of these closures that will determine whether government should continue with this line of action or adopt other measures."

A meeting among major stakeholders, including a select number of principal officers of the National Assembly, was held in the Presidential Villa on the eve of the meeting of the National Council of State, which endorsed President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua's plans to bring militancy in the Niger Delta to an end.

Last Friday, the Implementation Committee of the Presidential Amnesty for Niger Delta Militants released the details of the reprieve plans.

The committee, however, said that the leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), Henry Okah, being tried in Jos, Plateau State, would remain in custody until President Umaru Yar'Adua briefed the governments of Angola and Equatorial Guinea, which were involved in his extradition to Nigeria, of the amnesty details.

At a press conference by the chairman of the committee, Maj. Gen. Godwin Abbe (rtd) were the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Paul Dike; Inspector General of Police, Mike Okiro; Air Vice Marshal Lucky Ararile; and the Media Coordinator of the Committee and Presidential Adviser (Media and Publicity), Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi.

The committee sated that when the actual amnesty began, militants would be expected to surrender their arms at specific collection centres, after which demobilisation and re-integration/rehabilitation would follow.

Each militant is expected to indicate to the committee the rehabilitation of choice - whether to go to school, acquire skills, get employment or engage in private business.

Under the programme, Rivers, Bayelsa and Delta States will each have four collection centres and two re-integration centres. The states of Edo, Akwa Ibom and Ondo, where militant activities are less pronounced, will have two collection points and one re-integration centre each.

Abbe also said the three tiers of government, including the oil companies, the National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP), Petroleum Development Trust Fund (PTDF) and the Ministry of Niger Delta would be involved in the rehabilitation of militants who would take advantage of the amnesty.

He stated that "between 6th of August and October, continuous discussions are on with the leadership of the militants; modalities affecting how they will turn out in various locations are on.

"But if there are militants who, out of burning patriotism, decide to surrender even now, the nearest Police station to their operational basis have instructions to receive them.

"Sponsors of militants who had indirectly assisted or supported militant activities in the creeks are also to benefit from the amnesty deal.

"This is a long process and so you will discover that whoever mentioned N50 billion was only projecting. It will be more expensive than that; it will cost more."

Marshal Dike on his part said that there was no problem with the conduct of the troops of the Joint Task Force (JTF), during the amnesty period.

He said: "We have briefed the leadership of the JTF for them to understand what the amnesty stands for and the JTF will respect all the conditions contained in the amnesty that was proclaimed by Mr. President.

"When an amnesty is granted, I want to assume that both opposing sides will understand what it stands for - cessation of hostilities. The JTF will obey all the conditions laid out for the amnesty, but in the face of hostilities, will only respond if attacked."

On possible withdrawal of the JTF from the Niger Delta, Dike said the task force was "established for a purpose to ensure peace and security within the Niger Delta region. And once that objective is achieved, the JTF will fizzle out."

"But it is important to continue to recognise that military formations will continue to exist in the Niger Delta."

Police Inspector General, Mike Okiro said: "Some of the militants have shown their willingness to lay down their arms. We have been in touch with most of them and naturally, you don't expect them to come out before the proclamation of amnesty.

"We have been in touch with some of their representatives or lawyers. They are Solomon Barry Ogene (alias Osama Bin Laden); Ateke Tom and his lawyers; Farrah Dagogo; and Boyloaf. They have been in touch.

"You must have watched the news some days back where they have accepted the amnesty by the government and are ready to lay down their arms. In fact, one of them, Solomon, has said he is going to surrender his arms today (yesterday).

"In fact, after this briefing, I am going to Port Harcourt to collect some of the arms from them."

On the specific rehabilitation programmes for the amnesty, Ararile noted that "the process is actually in three phases. The first phase is the collection point."

"From the collection point, they will go to what is called the re-integration centre where the demobilisation and the reintegration process will be done.

"The reintegration process involves sorting out the ex-militants into their areas of interest - those who want to go to school will be given the opportunity of doing so; those who want to go into businesses will be assisted to do so; those who want to go for vocational training will be assisted to do so.

"That part of the programme is a long-term one and not within the 60 days ultimatum we are talking about.

"The Ministry of the Niger Delta is working on the package and how it will be implemented with the collaboration of agencies like NAPEP, the PTDF; even the major oil companies are involved in the whole process."

The Guardian Newspaper, Lagos
June 28, 2009