Not less than 72 former agitators from the Niger Delta region of the country have graduated from the Institute of Oceanography, University of Calabar, Cross River State.
Speaking at the ceremony, Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Paul Boroh, described agriculture as the future and mainstay of Nigeria’s economy, pointing out that it has the potential of transforming the nation’s economy and diversify it from oil and gas.
The graduands took courses in Aquaculture and Fishery at the institute.
Boroh noted that the Amnesty Office would continue to collaborate with credible institutions and agencies to build the capacity of the ex-agitators as a way of empowering them to develop skills that would enable them reintegrate back to their communities and live normal life.
He told the beneficiaries: “Agriculture is the focus of President Muhammandu Buhari. The skills that you have learnt are very useful to the national economy. I want to see you go back to your communities to organise your fish ponds because agriculture is more of a practical thing than theory.
“You have developed your skills, so go and make a difference in your communities. I want to assure you that as we leave here, I am going to make arrangements for your empowerment to enable you start your farms.
Boroh also asked beneficiaries of the Programme to ignore rumours that Government had decided to scrap the Programme and urged the ex-agitators in the Niger Delta Region to be rather focused and disregard such unfounded insinuations about the programme, saying that the Amnesty programme is on course, just as they were part of the success story of the programme.
The Amnesty boss enjoined them to also educate their colleagues to begin to fine tune their minds towards agriculture, reiterating that food safety is key to the survival of any nation.
He maintained that any government that has the interest of developing the capacity of its youth is a government that means well for all.
He said “as at now, 13,031 delegates have been trained successfully in various fields, 1,246 have under gone vocational training, (both offshore and onshore), including yourselves as you graduate today. You will now add to the success story of that number”.
The Amnesty coordinator added that “159 delegates are undergoing advanced training in maritime operations, 3,769 delegates are in various universities, both offshore and onshore. You are all aware that a large number of our brothers and sisters are studying abroad. Out of that number, 753 delegates have graduated from various universities, worldwide. This year alone, 686 delegates have either graduated or will be graduating.
“I have their statistics with phone numbers, because some people do not believe that we are training our delegates in different fields.
“The training is a process that is on-going and it has not stopped. Disregard any misleading information on the purported terminal date of the programme being peddled around by some persons, who are bent on causing disaffection among the stakeholders in the Niger Delta region”, he reiterated.
He called on them to resist the temptation of engaging in pipeline vandalism, stressing that dialogue remains the best option in resolving conflicts.
“We must all join hands to build the country. A strategic thinker will not use his territory as battle field. I urge you to protect your territory and not to destroy the natural resources in our territory.
“You should rather develop your territory by protecting the natural resources in it and stop pulling down one another. We have to move forward by being creative. We should support our political leaders, particularly, President Muhammadu Buhari to continue his good works.
In his remarks, the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Niger Delta, Essien Ayi, said the bill seeking to give legal backing to the Federal Government Amnesty Programme for former militants in the Niger Delta Region has passed Second reading in the House, noting that the bill, when passed into law, would create opportunities for the beneficiaries in the region.
In his address, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Prof Zana Itiunbe Akpagu, while commending Boroh for the meticulous manner he is conducting the Reintegration Phase of the Amnesty Programme, said the university would offer free consultancy services to the trainees from the Programme as part of its contribution to the success of the Programme.
Earlier, the Director of the Institute of Oceanography, University of Calabar, Prof. Paul Udoh, had informed that the Institute, established in 1982, is the only university-based research institute in the country, which addresses issues of nature, utilization and conservation of coastal and offshore resources, forging of national and international linkages and activities which promote the understanding of the aquatic environment.
He said the trainees studied fish breeding, feed formulation, fish processing, marketing, aquaculture enclosure, water quality management and fish diseases.
Speaking on behalf of the graduands, Surubor Amadikeme, thanked Boroh and the school authorities for the training package, saying that they would put into practice all that they have learnt in the training. He however appealed to the Amnesty boss to facilitate their empowerment process to enable them put into practice, the knowledge gained in the university.
