By Chioma  Onuegbu

Uyo—Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State has said that a re-appraisal of the training programme for ex-militants in the Niger Delta region under the Presidential Amnesty Programme, PAP, would enable them meet the manpower needs of the country.

…Militants

Emmanuel who stated this when the co-ordinator of the Niger Delta Presidential Amnesty Programme paid him a courtesy visit at Government House, Uyo, added that a re-appraisal will also help sustain the scheme and properly re-integrate the ex-militants to improve their economic status.

He regretted that so far the training programme has not been able to address the local content demands of the oil-bearing communities of the Niger Delta because the beneficiaries of the training still find it hard to fit into the available opportunities in the oil industry.

The governor stressed the need for the use of motivational talks as a practical step towards reintegrating and encouraging them to earn a living rather than engage in agitations.

He said, “I want to call on the companies operating in the coastal communities to devise modalities for dialogue in addressing issues of environmental degradation, which are the root cause of agitations in the Niger Delta.

“I also call for collaboration between the National Directorate of Employment and the Niger Delta Amnesty Programme for the development of the scheme and re-training of the ex-militants to meet societal needs.”

He frowned at the delay in paying the welfare package of the ex-militants, stressing that such inconsistency in payment of their stipends account for the sporadic attacks on market women in the coastal communities and the recent attempt by the agitators to blow up the Calabar-Itu Bridge.