In a bid to fully harness their potentials into productive ventures and integrate them back into the society, repentant militants in Bayelsa State in Nigeria are to be trained in Ghana.

Already the state Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Implementation Committee, Rev. Obegha Julius Oworibo, has travelled to Ghana to secure an institution where the repentant militants would under go training in various vocations.

The training programme, Vanguard learnt, is part of the state government’s Triple ‘E’ scheme of Empowerment, Engagement and Enforcement, mooted before the presidential amnesty came into being for militants in the Niger Delta. Secretary to Bayelsa State government, Mr. Gideon Ekeuwei, disclosed this in Yenagoa against the backdrop of protest by some former militants in the state over alleged non-payment of their allowances by the authorities.

According to the state government scribe, the state coordinator of the amnesty programme, Rev Oworibo, who incidentally is a permanent secretary in his office, had to travel to Ghana to make arrangement for the training of the repentant militants.

He expressed optimism that in no distant time, the state would once again assumed its toga of oasis of peace in the Niger Delta.

Secretary to the state government described the perceived disagreement between the ex-militants and their respective leaders as purely internal matters. He said the protest was not unusual, adding that the development was expected, especially when it had to do with the issue of disarmament.

He noted that other countries of the world in similar situation were experiencing the same problem.

“What they (militants) may have expected may not come out as expected. This is not to say that government has failed,” he said.

Prior to the amnesty offer and the recent arms haul recorded in the predominantly riverine state, Bayelsa is renowned as the hotbed of militancy and kidnapping in the Niger Delta.

It also had the highest number of armed militant camps in the troubled region.


Source: Vanguard, Nigeria

This will never happen. There is complete and utter opposition and anger in Ghana from all quarters against this move from what i am hearing.

Atta Mills must be out of his mind. Absolutely never. Why must we allow known criminal elements and destabilizers of economies into Ghana? Even america with their capacity to monitor individuals in their country will not allow a convicted criminal into their country.

Why can't they undergo rehabilitation in their own country? Are they being rehabilitated for Ghana life or for Nigerian life?

God Bless the journalist who brought this to the attention of the Ghanaian public. That Mills government should just wait. 2012 is just around the corner. we'll see who is boss then. nonsense.

shesi:

This will never happen. There is complete and utter opposition and anger in Ghana from all quarters against this move from what i am hearing.

Atta Mills must be out of his mind. Absolutely never. Why must we allow known criminal elements and destabilizers of economies into Ghana? Even america with their capacity to monitor individuals in their country will not allow a convicted criminal into their country.

Why can't they undergo rehabilitation in their own country? Are they being rehabilitated for Ghana life or for Nigerian life?

God Bless the journalist who brought this to the attention of the Ghanaian public. That Mills government should just wait. 2012 is just around the corner. we'll see who is boss then. nonsense.

Easy are we not African brothers anymore? Have you forgotten the past and history? Nigeria has helped other african countries in times of need so why can't Ghana do the same?

Easy are we not African brothers anymore? Have you forgotten the past and history? Nigeria has helped other african countries in times of need so why can't Ghana do the same?

yes but these are not the kind of nigerians we want. first of all, they are not refugees. we would gladly welcome them if they were. We have a lot of liberians, sierra leoneans, and ivorian refugees here. Second of all, it is questionable whether these militants have truly repented. there are stories on this very website that show that they just took the amnesty money and are still continuing their activities.

third, why are they being rehabilitated in Ghana for nigerian life? wouldn't it make more sense to rehabilitate them in the society where they will end up?

the fear is that these militants have no intention of giving up their activities and will end up running away, setting camp in ghana, and planning their destabilizing activites in ghana. thereby negatively affecting our own society, even if non-intentionally.

surely you can see why we're against this.

shesi:

This will never happen. There is complete and utter opposition and anger in Ghana from all quarters against this move from what i am hearing.

Atta Mills must be out of his mind. Absolutely never. Why must we allow known criminal elements and destabilizers of economies into Ghana?
, That Mills government should just wait. 2012 is just around the corner. we'll see who is boss then. nonsense.

Dude, why are you mad ? Even as I agree with you that dangerous men should recieve rehabilitation in their own nation , has this move (if it happens) not proven what I tried to tell you on the "Ghana will supply Nigeria with electricity" thread i.e some of your countrymen are only interested in being seen as the 'saviour' of the "big for nothing nation" to the extent that they throw commonsense and logic out of the window?

Are former members of the IRA being rehabilitated in France? What on Earth would make your government agree to this silly and potentially self-destructive idea if not an obsession to be seen as coming to the rescue of Nigeria even if that means Ghana's interest is harmed in the process? Learn to be objective at all times instead of when it suits you , even if that entails speaking against your Country, and you will understand that the whole Nigeria-Ghana thing has instigators on both sides.

You loudly defended the silly and unfeasible notion that "Ghana will become a major exporter of electricity to Nigeria" but you now vehemently protest against the idea that Ghana will help to rehabilitate former Nigerian militants !!! Do both situation not involve 'magnanimous' Ghana extending its helping hand to the "big for Nothing Nation" ? 

Why endorse one form of help and reject the other?

Gbawe,

the two situations are completely different. one involves trade, the other is an ill-informed, counter-productive, dangerous show of brotherliness and comraderie.

of what consequence to Ghana's national security is the supply(sale) of electricity to Nigeria, IF we have more than we need? nada.

the same cannot be said for this move.

Infact, i was listening to Ghana radio on the internet yesterday and somebody made a comment that our current President took campaign money from Niger Delta big men, with the promise that when he wins, he will provide a safe haven in Ghana for them to plan and execute a final grand push for semi-autonomy (or whatever they're fighting for) in Nigeria.

The militants will end up training the Ghanaians in the art of militancy since they have now discovered oil there.

Infact, i was listening to Ghana radio on the internet yesterday and somebody made a comment that our current President took campaign money from Niger Delta big men, with the promise that when he wins, he will provide a safe haven in Ghana for them to plan and execute a final grand push for semi-autonomy (or whatever they're fighting for) in Nigeria.

many of the people from that region have links to Ghana anyway. They emigrated from there.

Nigeria is a silly country. Comparing themselves to Ghana on so many threads here is an evidence to that. Ghana is already being compared to the western countries while nigeria is being compared to Ghana. My brother shesi, please do not be angry. The militants needs to be rehabilitated in your great country Ghana. I love what i read when you said and quote below.

Infact, i was listening to Ghana radio on the internet yesterday and somebody made a comment that our current President took campaign money from Niger Delta big men, with the promise that when he wins, he will provide a safe haven in Ghana for them to plan and execute a final grand push for semi-autonomy (or whatever they're fighting for) in Nigeria.

The quote above means a lot to all well meaning people that are locked up against their wish inside nigeria. Those are the Niger Deltans and the Biafrans. Ghana should help in any means to get that useless big for nothing country nigeria divided or it's regions manage themselves.

shesi:

This will never happen. There is complete and utter opposition and anger in Ghana from all quarters against this move from what i am hearing.

Atta Mills must be out of his mind. Absolutely never. Why must we allow known criminal elements and destabilizers of economies into Ghana? Even america with their capacity to monitor individuals in their country will not allow a convicted criminal into their country.

Why can't they undergo rehabilitation in their own country? Are they being rehabilitated for Ghana life or for Nigerian life?

God Bless the journalist who brought this to the attention of the Ghanaian public. That Mills government should just wait. 2012 is just around the corner. we'll see who is boss then. nonsense.

This is the mess a man gets outside his home , when he fails to harness his resources and maximize the utility therefrom. Dude dont break a sweat, this will never happen. Yes , not because Ghanians object but because I believe the agitators are far smarter than what those in government think.

But I shed tears for this country because if we did the right things we know where we would be.

I see all these insults from Ghanians as a blessing in disguise. One of these days we will all look ourselves in the eye in this country and force development anyhow.