While the Nigeer Delta Avengers threaten to resume vandalism in the south south, students sponsored by the Office of the Presidential Amnesty Programme in the United States have commended the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari for sustaining the Amnesty Programme and the peace in the Niger Delta region.
A statement by Jimmy Iwezu, leader of the Amnesty Students in the U.S., also dissociated the group from a planned protest at Washington, D.C., on Saturday.
“We wish to express our appreciation to President Muhammadu Buhari for his commitment and dedication to sustainable peace and development in the Niger-Delta through his support and continuation of the Presidential Amnesty Programme.
“We also wish to commend the able leadership of Gen. Paul Boroh (rtd) for the positive changes that he has brought to bear on the programme through prompt payment of our fees and allowances.
“While it has not been all rosy, we note that despite the economic recession that Nigeria went through, it was still able to sponsor our education abroad and we are very grateful.”
The statement drew the attention of the public to the activities of those it called “a few faceless fraudsters” in the U.S.
The group was allegedly using the social media platform to spread “misleading and mischievous information about our welfare as government-sponsored students in different institutions of higher learning in the United States”.
“We wish to disassociate ourselves from any attempt to tarnish the image of Nigeria in the U.S. through outright lies, falsehood and blackmail being peddled in the social media by a faceless group that has called on people to join them on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2017, for a public demonstration against the government of President Muhammadu Buhari at the White House in Washington DC, USA.
“For the avoidance of doubt, we wish to put it on record that our allowances and tuition fees have been paid up to the month of September, 2017 and the Amnesty Office has promised to pay up to November, 2017 when the next payment is made.”
The students appealed to those they termed “detractors and sponsored saboteurs” to desist from their evil activities of blackmail and distractions against the good job that the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Niger-Delta has done since 2015.
“We also appeal to the Federal Government of Nigeria for the sustainability of the programme, which has achieved its mandate of ensuring peace and stability in the Niger-Delta region of Nigeria”.
No fewer than 30,000 ex-agitators from the Niger-Delta region are on the scheme, according to Boroh.
The presidential aide said the programme, which started in 2009, had sponsored the beneficiaries in various skill acquisition, education and entrepreneurship trainings, among others.
He added that well over 5,000 ex-agitators had benefitted within the past two years in critical areas of aviation, maritime, oil and gas and agriculture.
According to him, the programme has helped greatly to stabilise the Niger Delta region, adding the federal government is consolidating on the achievements to buoy the economy.
“Their (ex-agitators) morale is high and they are happy. Each time I go to discuss with the ex-agitators and the youth, they pledge their loyalty and support to the present administration,’ he said.
But the NDA made their threat public on Friday, citing neglect and other reasons for their resumption of hostilities.