Yar'Adua woos militants with amnesty, regrets exclusion from G-20
From John-Abba Ogbodo, Abuja
PRESIDENT Umaru Musa Yar'Adua yesterday announced Federal Government's plan to grant amnesty to Niger Delta militants who are ready to surrender arms even as he admitted that the financial meltdown is real in the country and tasked Nigerians to tighten their belts.
He also lamented the absence of Nigeria from the current talks in London of the world's 20 leading nations to find a solution to the global economic meltdown.
The President who spoke at the 47th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) regretted that despite Nigeria's huge human and material resources, the country was not invited to the forum in London.
"We are working on terms for the granting of amnesty for all those who are prepared to lay down their arms in the Niger Delta and this amnesty will include not only laying down their arms, but re-integrating and rehabilitating them into the Nigerian society", Yar'Adua said.
He added: "We are working on the holistic development and implementation of the Niger Delta Master Plan. We have created the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs to champion the overall and holistic development of oil producing area. This administration has been releasing full funds to the Niger Delta Development Commission.
"Also, we are funding a re-positioned Joint Task Force (JTF) to enforce law and order in the area and we have worked out the new rules of engagement for the JTF, giving it a period of six months. Next week, the National Security Council will meet to deliberate and finalise on the new rules of engagement.
"The government has released enough funds for the JTF to acquire the proper capacity to be able to enforce law and order in the Niger Delta", he added.
Regretting the non-participation of Nigeria in the ongoing Group of 20 countries (G-20) talks in London over the global financial meltdown, the President said: "I must say that today (yesterday) is a sad day for me. And I think it should be for all Nigerians, when 20 leaders of the leading countries in the world are meeting and Nigeria is not there. This is something we need to reflect upon.
"We have the population, we have the potentials, we have the ability and capacity and we have the will. What do we lack? Is it the will that we lack?"
Yar'Adua said the nation must rise to the challenge by beginning to realise the potentialities God has given us. "Honestly and sincerely, to realise these potentials... potentials are nothing unless they are realised. No matter the potential you have, unless you work on it, it will not be realised. We must realise it and lead the nation to realise it. This is what we must do and PDP must do to realise its potentials", he said.
The President reiterated the commitment of his administration to tackle the problem of electricity in the country stressing that the necessary plans had been concluded and funds procured for the challenge.
"I will like to let the members of NEC know that all plans for the attainments of our targets of 6,000 mw of generated electricity to be fully transmitted and distributed by the end of this year are in place.
"The plans have been concluded. Implementation has begun and all the required funding for the attainment of this objective is in place. The plan to generate 10,000 mw of electricity by the year 2011 has been concluded and implementation has begun and all the funding required is in place.
"I want to express my confidence that by the grace of God, this target will be achieved by the end of this year and by the end of 2011. I am reiterating this so that the nation will know what the PDP government is doing and we have left Nigerians in no doubt as regards what we intend to deliver, so that the nation can hold the government and the party accountable."
Admitting that the impact of the economic meltdown was beginning to manifest in the country, Yar'Adua called on Nigerians to prepare for measures that would be taken by government to ease the situation and asked for discipline on the part of the citizenry.
"In deed, as we are meeting today (yesterday), 20 leaders of the most developed nations of the world are holding a meeting in London trying to work out a solution to the problem of global financial crisis and the global economic meltdown. This has affected this country and all other countries throughout the world. The crisis is not a joke. It is real and demands discipline and sacrifices.
"It is for us to take measures to mitigate the effects of this crisis - to ensure that the crisis does not degenerate into greater hardship for our people, and to ensure that Nigeria comes out of this crisis stronger than it had weakened it.
"I want to make a general comment, not only to our great party, but to all Nigerians. This crisis is real, it is not a joke and its source is not from this country. Nigeria and other undeveloped countries did not cause this. Other underdeveloped countries did not cause this in any way. This crisis begun in the most developed economies in the United States and Western Europe and to a great extent some of the Asian economies and it has spread throughout the world", he stated.
The President added: "We cannot see the end of this crisis within 2009. The World Bank and the IMF (International Monetary Fund) and all other institutions are saying that there is no solution in 2009. In fact, if the global effort is going to make impact at all, it may have to start somewhere, if we are very luck, in 2010.|
"While we are in this crisis, we must make sacrifices and we must be realistic. We must look beyond ourselves. It is in the collective interest of the nation to make sacrifice and tighten belt. So, we must make sacrifice, we have to face it because it is real. Prices of crude oil are hovering between $40 and $50 a barrel. We need sacrifice and belt tightening."
The President solicited the co-operation of all Nigerians and organisations so that Nigeria could pull through.
Speaking on other measures of the Federal Government to improve infrastructure in the country, Yar'Adua said arrangements to concede some roads had been completed. "Within the next one week, we will announce the concessioning of Ibadan- Lagos highway. We are working on the concession of major highways like Benin-Sagamu, Kano-Abuja and we have taken strategic roads for rehabilitation - eight of them. The contract will be awarded next week in the next Federal Executive Council meeting. The other strategic ones which we have worked with the National Assembly, the contracts will be awarded before the end of April."
The President commended the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party led by Prince Vincent Ogbulafor for the skilful manner in which it had steered the ship of PDP since they came on board a year ago.
On his part, Ogbulafor announced that the national convention of the party would hold on April 20, 2009 and explained that nobody was being targeted. He said the convention was being held in line with the constitution of the party to amend some relevant portions of the constitution that are not in tandem with tenets of democracy.
The party raised a 99-member committee chaired by former governor of Kwara State, Alhaji Shaba Lafiagi, to conduct the convention. The membership of the committee cuts across National Assembly, governors, NWC and state chapters of the party.
Former chairman of the party, Chief Solomon Lar attended the meeting after staying away for about eight years. He said he attended the meeting "because the years of garrison in PDP are over".
The governors in attendance at the meeting included Muazu Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Gabriel Suswam (Benue), Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Bukola Saraki (Kwara), Adebayo Alao-Akala (Oyo), Gbenga Daniel (Ogun), Olagunsoye Oyinlola (Osun), Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta), Namadi Sambo (Kaduna), Jonah Jang (Plateau), Akwe Doma (Nasarawa), Danjuma Goje (Gombe), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Mahmud Shinkafi (Zamfara).
Others are Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, Chief Tony Anenih, Dr. Banarbas Gemade, Elder Godsday Orubebe, former Senate President Ken. Nnamani, Federal Capital Territory Minister Adamu Aleiro, Dr. Ibrahim Lame (Minster of Police Affairs).
Also, Vice President Goodluck Jonathan; Senate President David Mark; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole; immediate past National Chairman of the PDP, Dr. Ahmadi Ali and former Deputy Senate President, Ibrahim Mantu, were in attendance but former President Olusegun Obasanjo was absent.
