Nigeria's Buhari to keep Delta amnesty programme
(Nigeria) Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari promised on Sunday to
keep and "re-engineer" a controversial amnesty programme for Niger
delta militants designed to stem attacks that have slashed oil exports but set
to be scrapped.
The announcement, made in a televised speech marking his
first year in office, is an apparent reversal from earlier this year when his
government pledged to end the scheme by 2018, according to AFP.
The costly programme introduced in 2009 after years of
violence by separatist militants pays monthly stipends to 30,000 former
militants as well as offering them training opportunities.
A wave of recent attacks on Nigeria's oil infrastructure has
seen the country's oil output drop to the lowest level in two decades, putting
pressure on the Nigerian government to restore peace in the southern
swamplands.
"The recent spate of attacks by militants disrupting
oil and power installations will not distract us from engaging leaders in the
region," Buhari said.
"Re-engineering the amnesty programmes is an example of
this."
This week militant group Niger Delta Avengers claimed
responsibility for three separate attacks targeting oil giants Chevron and
Shell as well as the Nigerian National Petroleum Company.
Faced with a looming recession and depleted cash reserves,
Buhari has limited options to deal with rebels having already cut back spending
on the amnesty programme.
Experts have said that increased amnesty payments could be
the most realistic way to secure a ceasefire.
"If the Avengers continue to raise havoc in the onshore
oil sector, and the military response falls short or backfires, the
administration may eventually need to consider ramping up its amnesty budget as
the lesser of evils," Philippe de Pontet, sub-Saharan Africa analyst at
risk advisory firm Eurasia Group, said in a recent report.
Falling production of crude exports, which Nigeria depends
on for 70 per cent of state revenue, has hampered growth in Africa's largest
economy.
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