TheCable

The Nigerian Diaspora Professionals Forum (NDPF) has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for what has been described as a determined effort to sustain the amnesty programme to improve security and stability in the Niger Delta.

Addressing journalists at the departure wing of the Port Harcourt International Airport, Rivers state, Abdalla Hussein, vice-president of the organisation, confirmed that a seven-man fact-finding mission visited the Nigeria delta to assess the security situation.

“We came on a verification mission in Niger Delta to see things for ourselves. We say development challenges, but we were glad to note that in the past four years one hardly hears about the destruction of oil installation and organised confrontation and conflict in this region,” he said.

“We have visited the nine states in the region, and we shall be heading to Abuja later today. We want to learn more about the development challenges in the region, the amnesty programme and how the Buhari administration has managed to sustain peace so far. It is clear to all stakeholders that we need peace for investment and development.”

Speaking in the same vein, one of the members of the delegation, Abiye Davies confirmed that the group visited several vocational training centres build by the programme in several locations like Gelegele in Edo state, Bomadi in Delta state and Oboama in Rivers state.

“The Niger Delta Amnesty Programme has achieved so much and has become an important example that many resource rich African countries can learn from. With the implementation of the program now in the Integration phase, the ex-agitators who were formerly involved in conflict have become gainfully employed and can now go back into society as responsible citizens,” he said.

Earlier in the year, Maikanti Baru, former group managing director of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), confirmed that the country’s oil production had moved to 2.32 million barrels per day.

After several allegations of leakages and theft of funds by the former leadership of the programme5w431, a new coordinator, Charles Dokubo, a former research professor at Nigeria Institute of International Studies was appointed by Buhari.