Against the backdrop of recent attacks on the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) under the leadership of High Chief Dr. Dennis Otuaro, an energy sector think-tank group, the Niger Delta Energy Security Forum (NDESF) has said that those criticising the programme are individuals who benefited illicitly from past abuses and mismanagement of the PAP but have realised that the era of "free money" is over.

The NDESF's recent statement as released by its convener, George Kerley, is coming in reaction to allegations made by a group that pride themselves as the Niger Delta Ex-Militants and Ex-Agitators Forum, which claimed that the programme was being abused through reckless contract awards to non-existent companies.

According to the Energy group, for the first time, the appointment of Mallam Nuhu Ribadu as National Security Adviser and High Chief Otuaro as Administrator of PAP by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a lot has really changed as the programme has begun to yield positive results.

“A lot has changed at the Presidential Amnesty Program since Mallam Nuhu Ribadu became National Security Adviser and Dennis Otuaro was appointed Programme Administrator.

“There is no free money for anybody anymore. A lot of people are angry with the programme right now, from members of the National Assembly to the disenchanted pseudo-ex-militant leaders and agitators, especially those who have been party to the decay in times past,” the group alleged.

Speaking further on the PAP's renewed focus in line with the President's Renewed Hope agenda, its convener said, “The steady rise in crude oil production shows that the Amnesty Programme is reconnecting with its roots, and former militants are being discouraged from engaging in crude theft and illegal refining."

Kerley further linked the derailment of the Programme in the past to the drastic drop in Nigeria’s oil production from over two million barrels per day to about one million barrels per day in September 2020, as well as the severe environmental consequences, such as the soot pollution that plagued Port Harcourt in Rivers State for years.

“Disenchanted high-risk youths who lost faith in the Amnesty Programme had returned to the creeks to sabotage pipeline infrastructure, bunker crude oil, and engage in illegal refining, leading to the loss of 400,000 to 700,000 barrels of oil per day,” he said.

The NDESF convener therefore dismissed the attacks against the Programme stressing that those who are unhappy with the turn of events were not expected to be quiet as they would fight back but assured that there is no cause for alarm.

“No cause for alarm," he said. "The Amnesty Programme is on course. Politicians and their followers will always do their thing. We expect attacks on the Amnesty Programme from those who have been part of the rot and abuse of the Programme in recent years. The point remains that it is no longer business as usual," he proclaimed.

On the proposed South-South Development Commission Bill, the NDESF stated, “It is great timing; a well-run and efficient South-South Development Commission, working closely with high-risk communities and insulated from political interference, will ensure zero crude oil theft, bunkering, and illegal refining in the Niger Delta.

“Nigeria’s oil production will rise above three million barrels per day, creating more revenue for the Federal Government to undertake transformative projects like the Lagos-Calabar Superhighway and railway,” he asserted.

Kerley who emphasized that previous regional development efforts had failed because energy security was not a priority also expressed strong support for the initiative which made the group to align with the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) for the first time.

He criticised past governments, particularly military rulers and retired generals for neglecting this crucial aspect, which he said had led to persistent unrest, crude oil theft, and illegal refining despite the creation of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in 2000.

He urged President Tinubu to recognize the importance of establishing the Commission as a solution to Nigeria’s ongoing struggle to meet its OPEC production quota but warned that if the Commission is hijacked by political interests, it would fail like past initiatives. 

“The Commission should be run by smart development experts who will deeply engage high-risk communities, promoting and rewarding successful ones. The goal should be to ensure that no community in the South-South wants to be associated with crude oil theft, illegal bunkering, or refining. Effective community participation, not an ‘effectual’ gathering of the greedy, should be the new template for development commissions going forward. Otherwise, nothing will change,” he counseled.

He concluded by emphasizing that energy security must drive development conversations in the South-South.

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