Our mandate will be fulfilled when vocational centres are operational, says PAP coordinator

The leadership of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) has expressed commitment to completing and activating all Vocational Training Centres across the Niger Delta region.

PAP said this will help the amnesty programme reach its full potential and ensure sustainability of livelihoods of beneficiaries.

Barry Ndiomu, interim administrator of PAP, stated this on Wednesday while speaking to newsmen at the Amnesty office in Abuja.

Ndiomu who insisted that the amnesty programme has served its purpose, said there are some areas that have not been touched, especially the completion of Vocational Training Centres.

“If we are able to complete these centres, we can now domicile training of restive youths in the region. One of the things I have been doing since I came onboard is to source for funds to complete these projects,” he said.

The interim administrator lamented the perennial complaints by International Oil Companies (IOCs) that youths in the region lack requisite industry skills for employment, a narrative PAP is working hard to change, he said.

Ndiomu asked state governments in the region to complement the efforts of PAP and other interventionist agencies like the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) in order to create more opportunities for young people.

Responding to questions on possible threats from splinter ex-agitators in the Niger Delta region, Ndiomu reiterated that as of the time of disarmament, not all groups agreed to lay down their weapons, hence PAP was “solely” set up to cater to those who embraced amnesty.

He added that the PAP Cooperative Fund, unlike other similar initiatives in the past, is strategically set up to drive sustainability of livelihoods, and has been carefully handed over to professional consultants to guide and mentor beneficiaries.

PAP was initiated by former President Umaru Yar’Adua in 2009 to curb youth restiveness, militancy and destruction of oil processing infrastructure in the Niger Delta.