Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Five members of the Federal House of Representatives from Bayelsa State have identified the vacuum in the head of the Presidential Programme as the cause of incessant cases of civil disobedience and blockages of the East-West road by protesting ex-militants.
The five house of representative members are Hon. Preye Influence Oseke(Southern Ijaw), Hon. Israel Sunny-Goli (Nembe/Brass), Prof. Steve Azaiki (Yenagoa/ Kolokuma/ Opokuma), Hon. Fred Azibaupu Obua (Ogbia) and Hon. Agbedi Yeitiemone Fred (Ekeremor/ Sagbama)
According to them aside from the civil disobedience by the ex-agitators, the absence of a substantive Coordinator for the Amnesty Programme is creating a vacuum that makes it difficult for the programme to be properly managed, meaningfully, transparently and brought to a logical end.
The lawmakers argued that the Federal Government should appoint a replacement for the suspended Prof Quaker Dokubo like it did anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) when Mr Ibrahim Magi was suspended.
Hon. Oseke, who moved a motion on the floor of the House of Representative on behalf of the Bayelsa Caucus, noted with concern the alleged double standard being used in the case of the Presidential Amnesty Programme
He called on the leadership of the House Committee on National Security to interface with relevant agencies of government in ensuring that a substantive coordinator for the Presidential Amnesty Programme for the region is urgently appointed, “to douse the rising tension in the region”
He also expressed concern over the noticeable adoption of unlawful means of agitation for the development of the region including subtle militancy,
The motion read in part “ This is a development that is capable of undermining the peace, security, order and good governance thus jeopardizing already gained mileage in institutionalizing in unencumbered economy of the nation.
”The ongoing presidential Amnesty programme have, as attested to by critical stakeholders, suffered a huge setbacks as a consequence of the absence of an acting Coordinator, and as such negatively impacted on the security situation in the Niger Delta region.”
“We urge the National Security adviser to the President and the Chief of Defence Staff as a matter of national security concern, to advise the President to appoint a Coordinator for the Presidential Amnesty programme for the Niger Delta with a clear mandate to optimally actualize the objectives of the region.”