The Senate on
Thursday launched investigation into activities of the Presidential Amnesty
programmes with the aim of ascertaining how the N330 billion accumulated
budget
of the programme was spent.
The upper
chamber said the investigation became necessary following reports that despite
huge sums of funds allocated to the programmes to cater for ex-militants,
militancy in the Niger Delta region is on the increase.
Findings
showed that since the inception of the amnesty programme in 2009, over N330
billion had been budgeted for the programme.
At least N65
billion was voted for the programme in 2016.
The Senate
therefore is suspecting funds mismanagement by the programme handlers.
Senate
President, Bukola Saraki, who inaugurated the investigative hearing, said the
Amnesty programme was created by the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua to curb
restiveness in the Niger Delta region.
He said seven
years down the line “we should ask ourselves whether the objectives of the
programme have been achieved.” Thenation
Follow Solenzo Blog on
0 Comments