President Bola Tinubu’s administration has significantly increased funding for the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) for former Niger Delta militants, raising the allocation from ₦65 billion to ₦115 billion in the 2026 Appropriation Bill.
This represents a ₦50 billion jump and a 76.9 per cent increase from the amount earmarked in both the 2024 and 2025 budgets, according to budget documents obtained by The PUNCH.
The new ₦115 billion allocation, domiciled under recurrent (non-debt) expenditure, was retained unchanged by the National Assembly when it passed the 2026 budget. It is the highest single-year funding for the programme since 2017.
The Presidential Amnesty Programme was introduced in 2009 by late President Umaru Yar’Adua to disarm, demobilise, and reintegrate militants in the Niger Delta who had been disrupting oil production through attacks on infrastructure and kidnappings.
The programme, initially designed as a short-term intervention expected to end by 2014, has now run for over 16 years.Critics have repeatedly raised concerns about the programme’s lack of legislative backing, alleged mismanagement, elite capture, and inclusion of “ghost” beneficiaries on the payroll.
Despite these issues, it has received over ₦700 billion in the past decade.The substantial increase in funding comes amid ongoing efforts to maintain peace in the oil-rich region, which remains critical to Nigeria’s economy.
The Presidency is yet to issue an official statement explaining the sharp rise in allocation.
The development is expected to generate further debate on the sustainability and effectiveness of the amnesty programme.
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