How Yar’Adua’s death stalled implementation of more amnesty packages —Gen Abbe

FORMER Minister of Defence and
pioneer Chairman of the Presidential Committee
on the Implementation of the Amnesty
Programme, Maj. Gen. Godwin Abbe (retd),
weekend, lamented that the sudden death of
President Umaru Yar’Adua, led to the failure to
implement some of the packages in the amnesty
programme meant for the Niger Delta region.

Describing the current insurgency in the region
as senseless, he noted that President
Muhammadu Buhari, who was not privy to the
amnesty arrangement has started the
implementation of some of the key items
through the on-going clean-up of oil spills in
Ogoniland, the construction of the East West rail
line, has warned the Niger Delta Avengers and
other militant groups destroying oil pipelines to
desist from actions capable of destroying not
only the environment but the entire economy of
the nation.

Speaking at the public presentation of a book
titled “Home –School Partnership for School
Effectiveness,” Abbe who called for dialogue,
narrated that “There is no programme that is
forever. But, I think that the point of departure
was the fact that after the demise of President
Yar’Adua, the type continuity that would have
taken place did not take place. But that is past
now as President Buhari was not a party to that.

“There are several aspects of the amnesty
programme that were concluded. It was not just
enough to send these young ones to institutions
of higher learning, develop the manpower needs
of the Niger Delta region. There were other
projects that would have been taken on. Like the
East West Road, it took a long time for it to be
completed. The present government has taken
on the East West rail way line. There was also the
idea of constructing a coastal high way from Ekpe
to Akwa Ibom State.”