By Emma Ujah, Abuja Bureau Chief
Federal Government has concluded the disarmament and demobilisation of the first phase of the amnesty programme with President Goodluck Jonathan saying that oil production has now hit between 2.6 million and 2.8 million barrels per day.

He told the last batch of graduands at the Amnesty Camp in Obubra, Cross River State, weekend, that in 2008 the nation lost N3 trillion at the peak of the activities of the Niger Delta ex-combatants.

He said: “It got to a point where Nigeria’s export dwindled to as low as 800,000bpd, compared with a targeted 2.2 million bpd for the first quarter of 2009. In 2008 alone, it was estimated that Nigeria lost over N3 trillion as a result of militancy in the Niger Delta.”

According the President, who was represented by  Minister of State for Niger Delta Affairs, Hajia Maina Ibrahim-Kuchi, the current high oil production was a testimony of the success of the amnesty programme.

President Jonathan restated his determination to stamp out insecurity across the coun-try, noting that peace was critical to development.

He said: “Let me reiterate that insecurity in any part of the country affects sustainable development in every other part of the country. This government is determined and poised to stamp out insecurity in all parts of the country.

“It is when we live in peace as a united nation that we can feed our people, tackle unemployment and confront infrastructural challenges head-on. We shall not relent until every part of Nigeria is rid of restiveness and other challenges of insecurity.”

A total of 20,192 have so far undergone the disarmament and demobilisation and are now being trained and re-integrated into civil society.

With their completion of non-violence training at Obubra, the Amnesty Office has placed 4,149 in skill acquisition centres and formal education in Nigeria and abroad.

Another 6, 616 ex-combatants are waiting to undergo non-violence training in Obubra in the second phase of the amnesty programme.

In his remarks, the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Chief Executive Officer of the Amnesty Programme, Mr. Kingsley Kuku urged the ex-combatants to remain peaceful and hardworking in order to make the most use of the opportunity provided them by the amnesty programme.

He also charged the international community to support the programme by granting visas to ex-combatants for foreign training and studies. Kuku noted that 80 per cent of the programme has been achieved and expressed optimism that it would transform the nation’s economy in general and that of the Niger Delta in particular.