Niger Delta Ex-Agitators Block East-West Road Over Unpaid ‘Stipends’; Presidency Urges Patience

By Chris Nomjov

Niger Delta ex-militants, who prefer the name ‘ex-agitators’, this morning, blocked the Mbiama axis of East-West road over non-payment of allowances and fears that new administration of President Muhammadu Buhari would scrap the Amnesty programme.

The ex-agitators blocked the access road and for a few minutes prevented free flow of traffic in protest against the non-payment of their Amnesty allowances for months. However, the presence of the Military JTF, helped restore calm and normalcy within a few hours.

The militants’ fear is borne from the fact that their future doesn’t feel secured under the newly inaugurated President Muhammadu Buhari Government.

This is not the first time that the militants would be carrying out such actions over unpaid allowances. In separate cases in 2011 and in December 2014, the ex-agitators obstructed movements along the East-west axis as well, over unpaid stipends.

Also, early last month, a group of Niger Delta ex-militants, who are beneficiaries of the Amnesty Programme at the Bradama Training Centre, protested unpaid allowances and non-issuance of certificates at the completion of their training.

However, the Presidential Amnesty Office, late Thursday, appealed to the former agitators over unpaid allowances to be calm and eschew any act that would disturb the peace of the region. This was contained in a statement issued by the Head of Media and Communications, Mr Daniel Alabrah, in Abuja.

According to NAN, the statement said the appeal became necessary, following the apprehension caused by the delay in the payment of the May 2015 stipends and in-training allowances to onshore and offshore beneficiaries. It explained that the delay is occasioned by the ongoing transition process at the federal level.

It, however, assured the beneficiaries that the funds for the May 2015 stipends and other allowances of beneficiaries are intact. Alabrah also said that the office was awaiting the required directive for disbursement in the absence of a substantive chairman of the programme or a Special Adviser to oversee the programme.

He urged the former agitators to reciprocate the good gesture of President Muhammadu Buhari, who in his inauguration address, assured of investing heavily in the programme, by maintaining the peace.

‘This is a transition period. So, it is important for citizens and especially the former agitators to be patient with the new government.

It would be recalled that, President Buhari promised to look into the Amnesty programme and make it more productive. The President, in his inaugural address, stated that, his administration would work out ways for the ex-agitators to be more productive and engaging, so as to earn more from the programme, rather than relying on mere stipends from government.