...We Surrendered Our Arms for Peace, Not Abandonment

The Niger Delta region, where many former fighters once carried weapons and later surrendered them in the hope of a better life, anger is growing.

Former agitators under the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) say they are being left behind despite the huge increase in funds allocated to the programme.

They are accusing the leadership of the programme of failing to properly address the needs of the people who were at the centre of the peace process.

Speaking on behalf of the Concerned Ex-Agitators of the Niger Delta Region, Tare Diseimoh said many former agitators now feel abandoned after giving up their arms in exchange for promises of rehabilitation, education, skills training and financial support.

According to Diseimoh, the situation has become even more painful because the government has increased funding for the programme at a time when many beneficiaries are struggling with the rising cost of living.

He pointed to the increase in the programme's annual budget from ₦65 billion to ₦115 billion, describing it as a major opportunity to improve the lives of former agitators and strengthen the peace process in the region.

However, the ex-agitators claim that the increase has not translated into better financial support for them.

The former agitators say they expected the larger budget to lead to improvements in their monthly allowances, training opportunities, education and other forms of support.

Instead, they allege that their requests for improved stipends have not received the response they expected.

Diseimoh also alleged that beneficiaries who speak out about their concerns have faced an unwelcoming response by arrest and intimidation from the programme's leadership

Beyond monthly allowances, the former agitators are raising questions about how training and educational opportunities are distributed.

Diseimoh alleges that some valuable opportunities, including overseas training and educational programmes, are being given to people who are not genuine beneficiaries of the original amnesty arrangement.

He further alleges that individuals with political or personal connections are benefiting while former fighters who surrendered their weapons are being left without meaningful opportunities.

The group wants the government to investigate these claims and publish clear information about who receives training, scholarships and other benefits under the programme.

They argue that proper rehabilitation is necessary to keep former fighters economically active and committed to the peace that followed years of unrest in the Niger Delta.

The group is now calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene.

Diseimoh is asking the President to investigate the management of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, particularly the spending of the expanded ₦115 billion allocation.

The ex-agitators are also calling for an independent review of the programme's finances, contracts, training programmes.

They further want a change in leadership, arguing that the programme needs someone who will place accountability, transparency and the long-term welfare of the ex agitators and Niger Delta people at the centre of its operations.

The Presidential Amnesty Programme was created as part of the government's response to militancy in the Niger Delta. Thousands of former ex agitators surrendered their weapons and entered a process that was meant to provide rehabilitation, education, training and reintegration into society.

For many of them, the decision to surrender their weapons was based on the belief that peaceful participation in society would offer a better future.

That is why today's complaints carry more than an economic message.

They raise a larger question about the sustainability of peace when people who participated in a disarmament process believe that the promises made to them are no longer being fulfilled.

The former agitators say they do not want another crisis. They want the government to listen, investigate and provide answers.

Their message to Abuja is simple If billions of naira are being spent in the name of peace, those who surrendered their weapons for that peace should be able to see and feel its benefits.