IYC President Udengs Eradiri
The President of the Ijaw Youths Council, Udengs Eradiri, has called on the Federal Government to make adequate allocation for the amnesty programme in the 2016 budget.
Eradiri told the News Agency of Nigeria in Yenagoa on Sunday that such provision was necessary to ensure stability in the region.
He said the speculation that the 2016 budget for the amnesty was slashed from N50 billion to N20 billion had caused apprehension among the beneficiaries of the programme.
The youth leader said if the provision was so heavily slashed as believed in some quarters, it could be a recipe for resurgence of crisis in the region.
He noted that there was a need to sustain the amnesty programme and ensure that the stipends for the beneficiaries were paid regularly.
He said the stability witnessed in the region since the commencement of the programme increased the country’s oil production from 600,000 to more than two million barrels per day.
Eradiri said the repentant militants in the Niger Delta who benefitted from the scheme were now making meaningful contributions to the economy with the skills they acquired through the programme.
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He said: “We appeal to the Federal Government to sustain the amnesty programme which has improved and stabilised oil production.
“The benefits outweigh its cost in every respect.
“The Federal Government should also provide the necessary infrastructure to serve as catalyst to boost economic activities and development of the Niger Delta region, while taking steps to diversify the economy.
“If the region is economically stable, it will be possible to increase oil production to bridge the shortfall from dwindling crude oil prices.”
Eradiri said the N6 trillion budget for 2016 was to be funded largely from oil revenue.
Eradiri called on the Federal Government to take deliberate steps to ensure that oil production was not disrupted.
The youth leader said there was a compelling need for sustained oil revenue to meet the expectation of Nigerians in the coming year.
He also called for adequate budgetary provision for the Niger Delta Development Commission and the Ministry of Niger Delta affairs to ensure adequate development in the area.
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