The Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme and the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, Brig. Gen. Paul Boroh says over five million people in the Niger Delta region have so far benefitted from the programme since its introduction in 2009 by the Umaru Musa Yar'Adua Administration.
He made the disclosure today in Akure after receiving the Niger Delta Peace Ambassador award from the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Ondo state Chapter. In his acceptance speech, Boroh said although it was difficult to specifically mention how much the Federal Government has spent so far, over five million people have benefitted from the initiative.
According to him, “For all I know, the programme has impacted on well over five million people in the entire region and also aided efforts to achieve peace in the Niger Delta,’’
He commended President Muhammadu Buhari for sustaining the programme stressing that the gesture demonstrates his love for the people of the region. He also expressed satisfaction at the level of response usually put in place to address crisis situation in the region.
“I, as a Niger Deltan, I’m very concerned about what is happening in the region. It is because of the performance of the programme that our crude oil output has increased to 2.3 million barrels per day as we speak. This was achieved by the efforts of the government through the presidential amnesty programme."
He called on the people of the region to shun hostilities and support the administration.
