Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to sustain the amnesty programme for the sake of enduring peace in the Niger Delta region.
Speaking when he received in audience, Brigadier-General Paul Boroh, the Presidential Adviser/Coordinator of the Amnesty Programme at the Government House, Port Harcourt on Thursday, Governor Wike said the sustenance of the programme will further enhance peace, stabilise the economy and generate empowerment.
“It is important to note that the peace we enjoy today in the Niger Delta is largely due to the Programme,” Wike said.
Gov. Wike also announced the setting up of an amnesty office at the Government House in Port Harcourt to liaise with the office of the coordinator of the Amnesty Program. He said that the Government House Amnesty Office would assist in monitoring ex-militants in the state to ensure stability .
The governor said that the era of politics is gone, noting that this is time for governance, intergovernmental partnership and development.
The Presidential Adviser/Coordinator of the Amnesty Programme, Brigadier-General Paul Boroh, earlier told Gov. Wike that Rivers State has 7652 beneficiaries of the amnesty programme, with 4310 beneficiaries involved in skills acquisition and vocational training.
Boroh said that he was interested in a sustainable amnesty programme which will enhance the security of the region. He called for a synergy with the Rivers State Government, so that the beneficiaries of the programme can be monitored.