Home
Latest News in Nigeria
FG spends N260bn on 30,000 ex-militants
FG spends N260bn on 30,000 ex-militants
CuteNaija
-
Sunday, February 16, 2014
The Federal Government has spent at least N260bn on ex-Niger Delta militants between 2009 and 2013 through both the amnesty programme and oil pipeline protection deals.
About N248bn has been spent through the amnesty programme to pay monthly stipends to ex-militants and on their training, both in the country and abroad. An additional N12.6bn has also been spent on pipeline protection contracts.
While delivering a lecture at the Abia State Youth Empowerment Summit in Umuahia, in April 2013, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Lamido Sanusi, had said the training of the ex-militants had gulped at least one billion dollars (about N160bn) since the inception of the amnesty programme.
The amount (N160bn) covered the N74bn that was spent on the amnesty programme in 2012, but did not include the N88bn that was budgeted for the programme in 2013.
Last week, the House of Representatives questioned the programme’s budget of N63bn in the 2014 Appropriation Bill. They were outraged that it was higher than the budget for water, which was N37bn.
In 2011, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation reportedly signed contracts with ex-militant leaders to the tune of $39.5m (about N6.3bn) to protect oil pipelines.
According to reports, Mr. ‘Tompolo’ Ekpemupolo gets $22.9m (about N3.6bn) per annum; Mujahid Asari-Dokubo gets $9m (about N1.4bn) per annum, while ‘General’ Ebikabowei “Boyloaf” Victor Ben and ‘General Ateke Tom get $3.8m (about N608m) each to have their men guard the pipelines.”
The summation of these figures is $79m (about N12.6bn). The pipeline protection deals, were implemented alongside the amnesty programme aimed at maintaining peace in the Niger Delta.
In September last year, the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Matters, Mr. Kingsely Kuku, said the amnesty programme would be terminated by the Federal Government in 2015.
Kuku said 16, 683 out of about 30, 000 ex-militants that were registered for the programme had been sent for training.
He also said the programme had a target of training 6000 ex-militants in 2014 and another 6,000 in 2015. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
Subscribe to:
Post Comments
(
Atom
)
What about militants in other states of the country? What about unemployed graduates? Why can't nigerian navy protect the pipelines? What a government!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteYes, GEJ has to empower his reserved Ijaw combatants.
ReplyDeleteThe money is huge enough to properly equip the Nigerian army, navy, police and the Civil defense to secure every pipeline in Nigeria. Those so called leaders only convert the huge sums of money to their personal use. A good example is Asari having a tertiary institution in Benin Republic instead of in the country which's paying him heavily for doing absolutely nothing.
ReplyDeleteWe can now see why asari dokubo is hell bent that jonathan must return come 2015 regardless If the election is free and fair or not because he knows that once the opposition take over the contract will stop.
ReplyDelete