A proposed law says the Universal Basic Education Commission
(UBEC) and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) will fund an agency for
the rehabilitation of insurgents in the north-east, the PUNCH reports.
The bill entitled ‘Establishment of the National Agency for
the Education, Rehabilitation, De-radicalisation and Integration of Repentant
Insurgents in Nigeria and for Other Connected Purposes’ passed first reading at
the senate last week.
The bill is sponsored by Ibrahim Gaidam, senator
representing Yobe east.
The proposed law has elicited debate among Nigerians with
many condemning the move by the senator.
According to the newspaper, the rehab commission will also
be funded by 0.5 percent of the federal allocation to the six states in the
north-east.
“The agency shall establish and maintain a fund which will
consist of initial take-off grant from the federal government; annual
subvention from the government; states counterpart funding which will be
deducted at source at 0.5 percent of their statutory allocation; 1 percent of
the education Tax Fund (TETFund) and UBEC fund,” section 10 of the bill
reportedly reads.
The bill also provides that the agency would be funded by
grants in aid, gift, testamentary dispositions, endowments and donations.
It also provides for foreign education for repentant
insurgents.
“The agency shall implement programmes geared towards the
rehabilitation of beneficiaries, engage the services of offshore and Nigerian
institutions in the pursuit of the educational needs of ex-agitators,” section
5 reads.
The proposed law provides that the chairman of the board of
the agency will be appointed by the president subject to the confirmation of
the senate.
It said the the governing council of the agency will have
one representative from each of the north-east states, one representative each
of the stakeholders, three representatives of the impacted communities, one
person from the army, air force, navy, police and Nigeria Security and Civil
Defence Corps — all of whom must not be below the rank of lieutenant colonel.
The council will also have one representative each from the
federal ministries of humanitarian affairs, finance, environment, petroleum
resources, North-East Development Commission and the local content board.
Gaidam had said many of the insurgents are willing to
repent.
According to him, rehabilitating insurgents is an
alternative to the military option in combating insecurity in the north-east.
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