By Samuel Oyadongha
Yenagoa — Ijaw youth leaders and ex-militants in the Niger Delta, yesterday, met in Yenagoa to deliberate on the Presidential Committee on Amnesty’s (PCA) workplan for the reintegration and rehabilitation process for repentant militants.

The import of the forum-cum-closed door session, Vanguard learnt, was to get the input of the ex-militants since the programme was meant for them, as well as how to make the post-amnesty programme a success in the region.

The meeting had in attendance the founding president of the Movement for the Survival of Ijaw Ethnic Nationality, MOSIED, Elder Kaiser Ogoriba; President of the Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, worldwide, Dr. Chris Ekiyor; Secretary of the Niger Delta Peace and Conflict Resolution Committee, Kingsley Kuku and Comrade Emmanuel Jonjon.

Others include the founding director of Ijaw Council for Human Rights and one of the architect of the famous Kaiama Declaration, Patterson Ogon, among others. The meeting attracted other leading voices in the Ijaw struggle for equity from across Ijaw speaking states in the Niger Delta.

The forum faulted the Presidential Committee’s document produced by the reintegration institution, describing it as  ‘hogwash’.

It also faulted some of the vocations for the ex-militants mentioned in the document, saying they were not certified.

The forum said that though the Federal Govern-ment had promised that it would turn around the fortunes of the Niger Delta, “we want to see things done and we don’t want them (Federal Government) to feel we do not want development.”

Speaking at the opening session ,Kingsley Kuku, a former Ijaw Youth Council chieftain, kicked against the Presidential Committee on Amnesty (PCA) work plan for the reintegration and rehabilitation process for the ex militants.

“The work plan is hogwash. It is not what we can accept without the inputs of our boys and this informed the reason for our gathering here today,” he said.

The meeting later went into a closed door session.