BY EMMANUEL OVUAKPORIE
ABUJA – A motion to urgently rescue three kidnapped expatriates in the Niger Delta coastline and dialogue with excluded militants from the Federal Government Amnesty Programme was yesterday killed by members of the House of Representatives.

The motion, which was brought to the floor of the House by Mr. Daniel Reyenieju (Warri Federal Constituency), was laid to rest after a protracted debate by members who believed that the Niger Delta had immensely benefitted from the amnesty programme.

This development has dashed the hopes of securing freedom for the expatriates kidnapped recently in a vessel serving at the Chevron oil field at Agbami, Bayelsa State.

The parliamentarians also frustrated an attempt to investigate the implementation of the amnesty programme, with a view to finding out why some agitated youths in the Niger Delta were excluded from the programme.

In the motion, Reyenieju noted that unidentified armed men hijacked an oil supply vessel, MV Endeavour, off the coast, serving Chevron’s Agbami Oil field, including three expatriates on board.

He said the oil field produces 250, 000 barrels of crude oil on daily basis, expressing concern that that was the second armed attack on Chevron vessels off the coast of Bayelsa this month.

The law-maker also lamented that the recent attacks on ships in Nigeria Niger Delta Region threatens the Amnesty Programme initiated by the late President Umaru Yar’ Adua as a means of resolving the lingering security situation in the area.

The lawmaker opined that if over 27, 000 had been demobilised, rehabilitated and reintegrated across the Niger Delta states by the Amnesty Programme, relative peace would have been witnessed in the Region.

Reyenieju stressed that the Presidency announced an initial grant of N50 Billion in 2009; Senate also approved a budget of N10 Billion in 2009 for the Godwin Abbey-led Committee and several other funds expended so far, the Amnesty Programme is yet to produce fruitful result.

He therefore, prayed the House to condemn the alleged acts of lawlessness on the nation’s territorial waters.

The parliamentarian also prayed the House to urge the Nigerian Armed Forces to maintain adequate patrol on the coastline and to immediately rescue the kidnapped expatriates.

He also prayed the House to constitute an ad-hoc committee to urgently investigate the implementation of the Amnesty Programme and the reasons for the exclusion of some agitated youths in the region.

However, the motion could not pass the approval of the law-makers as many of them; even those from the Niger Delta vehemently argued against it and eventually killed it through an overwhelming negative voice vote.

Analysts at the gallery were disturbed by the action of the representatives because they spent over one and half hours debating the motion.

They were bitter that such a well crafted motion was thrown overboard over no concrete reasons yet the Reps will always complain that unnecessary man hours are wasted on useless motions.

Reyenieju after the plenary told some correspondents that he had done his best to ensure that the plight of excluded militants are heard and the captives in the high seas suffering for no just reason.

He said “I do not have any regrets because all the issues I raised are facing us squarely in the face and if nothing is done only God knows, me I have done my bit for my country.

The House also, through a motion moved by Hon. Abdullahi Balarabe Salame, urged the Federal Ministry of Works to quickly intervene on the Sokoto-Yauri-Kontangora-Makera-Jebba-Bode-Sa’adu-Iyekorin Junction along IIorin-Oyo-Ibadan Road by rehabilitating and dualising the road.

The motion was equally referred to the House Committee on Works for further legislative input.