By Luminous Jannamike
ABUJA – The Movement for the Survival of Izon Ethnic Nationality in the Niger Delta, MOSIEND, has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently intervene over the alleged exclusion of about 2,000 members of the Egberepapa Camp/Niger Delta Liberation Force from the Presidential Amnesty Programme.
For the affected ex-agitators and their families, MOSIEND said, it is a 17-year-old grievance that has refused to go away; involving people who reportedly laid down their arms and embraced the Federal Government’s amnesty initiative.
In a statement by its National President, Kennedy Tonjo West, MOSIEND said the petition by the Egberepapa Camp/Niger Delta Liberation Force, alongside records cited in it, raised questions that now require presidential attention.
“If slots were approved, where did they go? If beneficiaries were excluded, on what criteria?” the organisation asked.
It said the petition referenced proceedings of the 9th National Assembly and a Senate committee recommendation on the allocation of 2,000 slots to the camp, calling for an independent examination of the relevant records, allocations and use of funds.
“If the Senate made recommendations, the coordinator should tell Nigerians what became of them,” MOSIEND said.
The organisation urged Tinubu to direct the National Security Adviser, NSA, and the Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme to verify the affected ex-agitators, review the relevant National Assembly resolutions and, where eligibility is established, integrate them into the programme and address their legitimate entitlements.
It also demanded disclosure, under the Freedom of Information Act, of the framework used to allocate Amnesty slots among recognised camps and groups, as well as a clear, time-bound mechanism for resolving the matter.
MOSIEND warned against turning the Amnesty Programme into an avenue for patronage or favouritism, stressing that its resources are public and its mandate national.
“Peace cannot be sustained by asking people to remain patient indefinitely while legitimate grievances go unresolved,” it said.
The group appealed to the NSA to take urgent interest in the matter, saying resolving the grievance would help protect the credibility of the programme and sustain peace in the Niger Delta.
“We can not keep quiet and give room for another crisis,” MOSIEND said, adding that it would continue consultations with the affected members and stakeholders and consider further engagement with the National Assembly and other relevant institutions.
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