Skip to main content

Amnesty programme sends 75 ex-militants to aviation school

Amnesty programme sends 75 ex-militants to aviation school
The Interim Administrator, Presidential Amnesty Programme, Barry Ndiomu, has said no fewer than 75 ex-Niger Delta militants have benefited from the programmes aviation training scheme.

Ndiomu said the ex-militants are currently at aviation training organisations in Lagos, South Africa, and France.

He noted that after their aviation programmes, the ex-militants would either become pilots or aircraft engineers.

Ndiomu disclosed this in Abuja on Tuesday at an event organised to commemorate the International Day for Eradication of Poverty.

He said, “The PAP under my leadership is creatively setting up opportunities to impact the lives of ex-agitators, beyond dependence on N65,000 monthly stipends.

“PAP has sponsored 75 pilots and aircraft engineers to various Aviation Training Organizations in Lagos (Nigeria), Johannesburg (South Africa), and Toulouse, (France) for type-rating courses as part of its aviation training scheme. ”

Ndiomu added that the initiatives the PAP had so far created  opportunities for ex-agitators to escape the prediction of the World Bank which estimates that over the next decade one billion young people will try to enter the job market, but fewer than half of them will get employed.


He recalled that when late President Umar Musa Yar’Adua instituted the Presidential Amnesty Programme in 2009, the age range of ex-agitators who laid down their arms, was between 25 and 30.

He noted that 14 years later, they have attained an unemployable age range of between 50 to 55 years.

The interim administrator, however, said over 700 ex-agitators had received loans to undertake Agribusiness and other lucrative ventures, while 2500 applications are waiting to be processed.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Steer Clear from Tompolo's Pipeline Surveillance Job, Face Your Olu's Contract... Activist Warn Itsekiri Leaders

Steer Clear from Tompolo's  Pipeline Surveillance Job, Face Your Olu's Contract... Activist Warn Itsekiri Leaders  Niger Delta Human Rights Activist, comrade Daniel Ezekiel has berated ltsekiri leaders for calling on  the Federal Government to decentralize the pipeline security contract awarded to the Niger Delta living legend, High Chief Government Ekpemukpolo alias Tompolo. The activist in a statement to FocalPoint Reports, on Thursday, reacted with displeasure and strongly condemned Itsekiri leaders Who were led by Hon. Michael Diden to call for the decentralization of Tompolo's Surveillance contract, during a visit to High Chief Bibopere Ajube (Shoot-at-sight) at his Agadagba-Obon, residence in Ese-Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State,  Ezekiel Daniel described those who visited Bibopere Ajube as self-proclaimed Itsekiri leaders and their voices are nothing good but mere distractions and should not be taken seriously. He added that the statements m...

NMU Governing Council chairman seeks solutions to challenges facing varsity

NMU Governing Council chairman seeks solutions to challenges facing varsity The Acting Chairman of the Governing Council of the Nigerian Maritime University, Okerenkoko, Delta State,  Adewale Adeogun, has appealed for immediate action to address the pressing challenges facing the institution.   Adeogun, who spoke during the council meeting  in Warri, expressed deep concern over the university’s underdevelopment despite its six-year existence. Highlighting the urgent need for government intervention, Adeogun emphasised the importance of establishing a permanent campus and ensuring adequate funding.  He pointed out that the university’s progress has been hindered by the suspension of projects initiated by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA). “It is disheartening to see that despite being a specialised university, Nigerian Maritime University is still struggling to find its footing,” Adeogun stated. “We must work tirelessly to secure gov...

Retired police officers protest over unpaid pensions

Some retired police officers under the contributory pension scheme on Tuesday, May 21, protested at the National Assembly over alleged several months of unpaid pensions with a call on President Bola Tinubu to remove them from the scheme. The protesters decried the extreme challenges they endure, saying that the National Pension Commission (PENCOM) has failed to pay their entitlements for several months causing them and their families untold hardship. The aggrieved retired police officers also wrote a Save Our Soul (SOS) letter to the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, calling for an urgent intervention. Speaking on behalf of the protesters, Chairman of the retirees, Christopher Effiong said many of their members have developed terminal illnesses and heart attacks as a result of the frustration associated with the scheme. In a letter dated May 21 and addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, the retirees said many of their colleagues have lost their lives due to t...