From Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure
The Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Development and Coordinator, Presidential Amnesty Programme, Prof. Charles Dokubo, yesterday declared that President Muhammadu Buhari was committed to the development of the Niger Delta Region.
Speaking at the commissioning of the vocational training centre established by the Presidential Amnesty Programme in Agadagba-Obon in Ese-Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State, Dokubo disclosed that the institute is already training no fewer than 100 ex-agitators in the Niger Delta Region.
Already, he hinted that his office in Bayelsa, Edo, Rivers, Delta and Ondo states, has established five vocational institutes to train ex-Niger Delta agitators in various disciplines. He said the training institute will partner with the Petroleum Training Institute, Effurun, Delta State, while the National Business and Technical Examination Board (NABTEB) will award certificates to graduates of the institute.
Dokubo stressed that the aim of establishing the institute was to provide skill acquisition for ex-agitators in the Niger Delta, adding that the training programme will also deepen peace, safety and security in the region and the country at large.
The special adviser disclosed that over 13,000 ex-agitators in the Niger Delta have been fully integrated into the society by the Buhari’s administration, adding that, many of the ex-agitators are already doing well in the society.
In his remarks, Ondo State governor, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu said the amnesty programme has transformed the Niger Delta region in the area of capacity-building.
Akeredolu, who was represented by his deputy, Mr. Agboola Ajayi said the Federal Government has, through the amnesty programme, increased the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) as militants no longer engage in bunkering and vandalisation of petroleum pipelines.