FG threatens to stop ex-militants’ allowances if…

The Federal Government yesterday threatened to stop the allowances of ex-militants in the Niger Delta region if they fail to abide by the code of conduct they entered into at the Obubra Camp. The code of conduct was meant to keep the ex-militants in check when they leave the country for vocational training overseas.

The threat was coming as the government further disclosed it has stiffer sanctions for ex-militants who violate the code of conduct guiding their re-integration. Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, Kingsley Kuku read the riot act to 42 ex-militants who are on their way to Sienna, South Africa for training in various capacities as part of the ongoing re-integration process of the amnesty programme.

According to Kuku who spoke with the delegates, without the ex-militants signing the code of conduct to show compliance to rules and regulations, they would not be allowed to leave the country so that they do not bring shame to the country. This present crop of trainees brought to 292, the number of ex-militants sent overseas for training out of the 26,358 ex-combatants who submitted their arms.

He also said penalties for reprobate militants would include stopping their monthly allowances and stipends as well as withdrawing their certificates of amnesty and certificates for non-violence, certificate from Foundation for Ethnic Harmony in Nigeria (FEHN). He said, “If you don’t sign the code of conduct form, you will not go to South Africa, you have to sign that so we can give it to the airport authority. You will also be met by the Nigerian Ambassador to South Africa once there and they will then drive you to your point of training.”

“If there is any unruly behaviour by any of the ex-militants we will stop all allowances and stipends due to that person or group of persons. We will also withdraw the Certificate of Amnesty from that person which makes us no longer liable to that person in the amnesty program. We will also withdraw the non-violence certificate issued by FERN from the individual.”

This, according to him, and other ventures would help to forestall any form of unruly behaviour like what happened in Ghana. He however said the implementation of the requirement was not a new one but something which had been in existence but now needed to be played up. “ It is not a response to the Ghana incident, this code of conduct forms have always been there and they have always signed it in Obubra but you know that why there have been 85 to 95 per cent compliance by the ex-militants.”

“We are trying to give bite to the implementation, we are re-issuing a Code of Conduct that has always been and we are explaining to them what it entails, not sign and abide by the contents of the form,” he stated. “We have also put in place a Monitoring and Evaluation Team and they will monitor and evaluate all the training centres we use everywhere in the world.”

Kuku who also spoke on the re-insertion Safety Allowance, which he explained was not a housing fund, said that it was in response to clamours for the housing palaver stating that as the militants were leaving the country, the money will be used for the upkeep of their families who are in Nigeria.

-Sun

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Posted by admin on Feb 24 2011. Filed under Niger Delta, Top Stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry