At least 317 former Niger Delta militants graduated from different institutions in the U.S. and UK in 2017, the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, Paul Boroh, has said.
Boroh, who is also the Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, disclosed this in New York on Friday when he visited Tijjani Bande, Nigeria’s Ambassador/Special Representative to the UN and the Deputy Ambassador, Samson Itegboje.
The presidential aide said the Amnesty Programme was managing the 30,000 ex-agitators from the Niger Delta region.
He said the programme, which started in 2009, had sponsored the beneficiaries in various skill acquisition, education and entrepreneurship trainings, among others.
According to him, the programme has helped greatly to stabilise the Niger Delta region, adding that the Federal Government is consolidating on the achievements to buoy the economy.
“This year alone, we have 177 graduates of the amnesty programme from the U.S. and 140 from the UK.
“By the end of this month, we would be going for the graduation in the UK; that of the U.S. has been on.
“The programme is on course; it helps greatly in stabilizing the situation in the Niger Delta region. I have also been working with the UN.”
Boroh, who was attending the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, said he was invited “to come and disclose what we are doing in the country, particularly in the Niger Delta on the SDGs issues”.
Bande, in his remarks, lauded the Amnesty Programme for its importance and achievements for the country from inception till date and commended Boroh for his achievements so far.
The Nigerian envoy said every well-meaning Nigerian was concerned about restiveness of youth wherever located.
“Every Nigerian, whether public official or private citizen, will like that you succeed in stabilising that restiveness.
“We are always aware of your activities around the UN System here. The High-Level Forum is an important event where you showcase what it is that you do.
“It’s also important to learn from others as regards what they are doing; I’m sure several other delegations will learn from your interactions with them.
“At the Mission, we are always happy that officials come from Nigeria and deliver the best that we know Nigeria can deliver.
“Nigeria is a very important and great country but we all have a duty to work very hard everyday to improve for the benefit of not only our now but more importantly, the future generation of Nigerians,” Bande said.
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