Reps to investigate alleged fraud in Presidential Amnesty Programme

The House of Representatives on Wednesday resolved to investigate the Muhammadu Buhari led Federal Government’s Presidential Amnesty Programme which seeks to quell armed struggles by Niger Delta agitators for a better deal in the nation’s oil-producing areas.

The resolution was a sequel to the adoption of a motion sponsored by Hon.Tajudeen Adekunle Obasa (Lagos,PDP) on the matter on the floor of the House.

The lawmaker while debating the motion noted that the Presidential Amnesty Programme is a lofty initiative introduced by the Federal Government to quell armed struggles by Niger Delta agitators for a better deal in Nigeria’s oil-producing areas.

He further noted that the programme’s cardinal objective is to grant pardon to Agitators and to rehabilitate them through productive ventures in order to build capacities and competence in the youths of the Niger Delta region.

He said: “informed that since the proclamation of the Amnesty Programme, the Federal Government has spent a lot of resources in training many youths and area boys both locally and internationally; and recently the Federal Government paid the sum of N8.5 billion into the Presidential Amnesty Programme’s TSA Account for the execution of this lofty idea”.

The lawmaker, therefore, expressed concerns noting that media reports and outcry of massive looting at the Kaiama Amnesty Center between 14 and 16 February 2019 were security agents, the coordinator of center and unknown persons we’re alleged to have carted away equipment worth billions of Naira in the Starter Pack wharehouse allegedly to the knowledge of the Special Adviser to the President on Amnesty.

He added that media reports of massive corruption and outright embezzlement of funds meant for execution of the programme’s objectives hence it became imperative to investigate these allegations for good of the Niger Delta people and the nation at large.

Moreover, the PDP lawmaker expressed concerns noting that failure of the House to act timeously could lead to the Amnesty Programme to suffer wreckage and the essence of the programme eroded.

Consequently, the House presided by the Speaker Hon. Yakubu Dogara put the matter to a voice vote which was overwhelmingly voted for.

He thereafter set up an Ad-hoc Committee to investigate the matter and asked that it reports back to the House in two weeks.