Nigeria probes into amnesty program for ex-militants

By Rafiu Ajakaye

LAGOS, Nigeria

Nigeria's parliament on Monday launched a formal probe into allegations of corruption in the implementation of the government's amnesty program for the former militants in the country's oil rich region of Niger Delta.

The speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara said at the launch that the alleged sleaze in the program has led to resurgence of violence in the region, costing Nigeria some $100 billion in oil revenue in 2016. The violence also led to Nigeria losing its leadership in oil production in Africa, he added.

"The amnesty program extended a hand of fellowship to the ex-militants as partners to jointly develop the region. These efforts aimed at alleviating the plight of the Niger Delta and the ex-militants have been plagued with several challenges which include allegations of lack of transparency; fraud; diversion and mismanagement of amnesty funds; refusal of agencies to release funds for the effective running of the programme and in some instances outright corruption and impunity," Dogara said.

“These challenges have led to the renewed tension, agitation and militancy in the region since 2015. Indeed Nigeria lost about 3,000 MW of electricity to militancy activities in the Niger Delta, since then," he added.

Attended by government officials and stakeholders from the region, including former militants and community leaders from the oil region, Dogara said the probe was targeted at resolving the crisis.

The amnesty program was declared in 2009 by the late president Umaru Yar'Adua at the height of the violence that nearly crippled oil production in the region and shot up prices of crude in the global market.

The effort has been hailed by many because it helped to douse tension in the region, although activists insist it fell short of addressing the main developmental challenges and environmental pollution there.

Last year, there was resurgence in the hostility in the region, at some point cutting oil production by at least half of budgetary projections of 2.2m barrels per day. The government is now battling to resolve the issue.