The question says it all. The money given to militants in the name of amnesty goes to a few pockets only! Even if there are 50,000 militants and their families will they and their children not die and fall sick when the pollution of the ND reaches a disaster-zone level and completely toxic, or Nigerians who live and work there just don't care so far as they can eat something today?

Why not convert the amnesty funds and any future increment or derivation to go to only construction, development and maintenance of infrastructure like roads, sea ways, bridges and the much needed environmental cleanup that MUST employ mostly (or nearly 100%) Nigerians in the ND? The ones that have some education and no skills start out as paid interns and rise through the ranks to become managers someday? That way, large numbers of ND Nigerians benefit from jobs with a decent salary, become productive, cleanup the environment which would in turn open up new or dying jobs line environmental engineering, large scale fishing, boat building and attract new companies that can pay tax? When everyone is busy, there will be no need or less need for pipeline security because there will be near 0 interest in such criminality. If a pipeline is destroyed by ND criminals, they know it is they who will suffer the most because of the oil spills. What do Nigerians think?

If you have been to bayelsa, you will see that their mentality is "chop I chop, bring am make we share. " The royalty paid by the oil companies are shared among the leaders and rulers. You will typically find buildings finer and better than the their roads, and so they continue to be underdeveloped.

I thought of the same thing, it would be better that such money is used for that purpose instead of sharing among the so called "militant"

I think this government has a capacity for wrong priorities that are hurting us as a nation --- GMB

2014 budget

- Presidential amnesty programme: 23.6 billion

- Reintegration of Ex-militants: 35.4 billion

- Statory allocation for Nddc : 61.94 billion

- Ministry of ND affairs: 49.193 billion

I remember when my state govt gave certain college of education 1 billion, the school refurbishes its hostels, staff primary school, classes, built new halls, an e-library, bought a bus and install solar powered streetlamps, and are now planning to tar the school after success of procuring additional 1 billion.

The bottomline is Jonathan's administration abets moral depravity, renumerate saboteurs and applaud savagery.

Sad thing is the selfish niger delta elites tacitly connives and pleasantly welcome this barbaric culture.

Even more sad is the bumpkins were brainwashed into clinging and cuddling with the status quo despite their extreme squalory and misery, as long as the goat eating the yam is one of their sons they don't give a damn.

I hope Apc govt will crucially review this scam of a thing.

A7:
I think this government has a capacity for wrong priorities that are hurting us as a nation --- GMB

2014 budget

- Presidential amnesty programme: 23.6 billion

- Reintegration of Ex-militants: 35.4 billion

- Statury allocation for Nddc : 61.94 billion

- Ministry of ND affairs: 49.193 billion

I remember when my state govt gave certain college of education 1 billion, the school refurbishes its hostels, staff primary school, classes, built new halls, an e-library, bought a bus and install solar powered streetlamps, and are now planning to tar the school after success of procuring additional 1 billion.

The bottomline is Jonathan's administration abets moral depravity, renumerate saboteurs and applaud savagery.

Sad thing is the selfish niger delta elites tacitly connives and pleasantly welcome this barbaric culture.

Even more sad is the bumpkins were brainwashed into clinging and cuddling with the status quo despite their extreme squalory and misery, as long as the goat eating the yam is one of their sons they don't give a damn.

From your figures, the ND gets N 170.133 B per year, plus of course shady contracts given to militants who should be working and protection left to the Navy or Police. With N 170 B+ per year, is that not enough to completely change the face of all the states in the ND, with the job done by the people in those regions? Assuming the government spends N 85 B of that on paying salaries of N 100,000 per worker alone and assuming everyone gets the said amount (would be different in real life based on education, training, experience, etc), the government could employ 850,000 Nigerians of the ND Region and that is a lot of people to employ! Now assume they spend the rest of the N 85 B on buying the raw materials, transportation of the construction materials, etc; the government could go a long way with this and reduce criminality significantly.

Why can't the government look into this? Must Nigeria and ND keep wasting N 170 B on less than 20,000 people when it could do a lot more for the ND environment and put as much as 850,000 Niger Deltans to work, construction, repairs, maintenace, etc while generating revenue at the same time? Shouldn't the APC / Buhari government consider this as a proposal?

madamoringo:


From your figures, the ND gets N 170.133 B per year, plus of course shady contracts given to militants who should be working and protection left to the Navy or Police. With N 170 B+ per year, is that not enough to completely change the face of all the states in the ND, with the job done by the people in those regions?

Plus 13 percent oil derivative which is another statory bonus to those regions. The state allocation alone is enough to transform them for the better.

Nobody care to demand for fairness, accountability or comformity with ethics, even the convicted embezzlers are offered state pardon and celebrated on national Tv.

madamoringo:

Assuming the government spends N 85 B of that on paying salaries of N 100,000 per worker alone and assuming everyone gets the said amount (would be different in real life based on education, training, experience, etc), the government could employ 850,000 Nigerians of the ND Region and that is a lot of people to employ! Now assume they spend the rest of the N 85 B on buying the raw materials, transportation of the construction materials, etc; the government could go a long way with this and reduce criminality significantly.

Let's assume the govt woke up one day and decided to scrap this scam and propose something like the above, you'll be shocked by the rejection, threats and bitter reaction by people from that region, they will scream marginalization and allege oppression and prefer the nations disintegration.

It's more than 5 decades since independence and I doubt if whole South-south civil service can boast of 850,000 workers.

And they're seeing what their "pseude confidants" like Asari, Henry Okah, Ateke are doing with the benefits procured through amnesty programme like building private schools abroad, taking vacations in South Africa and having grand birthdays throwing cash to whor.es.

The faster they fish out and disassociate with the enemy within the better for them.

madamoringo:

Why can't the government look into this? Must Nigeria and ND keep wasting N 170 B on less than 20,000 people when it could do a lot more for the ND environment and put as much as 850,000 Niger Deltans to work, construction, repairs, maintenace, etc while generating revenue at the same time? Shouldn't the APC / Buhari government consider this as a proposal?

I believe Apc govt will not tolerate this, it's even easier for them that the problem is identified, and like any other scam it shall be repelled and dealt with efficiently, culprits involved would be arraigned and will receive the comeuppance they deserve.