Legality, Administration and Management of the Amnesty Programme in the Niger Delta Region: The Nigerian Experience
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51699/cajssh.v7i3.1375Keywords:
Legality, Administration, Management, Amnesty Programme, Niger Delta RegionAbstract
The late President Umaru Yar'Adua introduced the amnesty programme in the Niger Delta region due to the militancy in the region. This paper, Legality, administration and the management of the amnesty programme in the Niger Delta region: The Nigerian experience, takes a look at and raises concerns about its real benefits to the ex-agitators vis-à-vis the generality of the people and its prospects for achieving sustainable peace in the region. Using the descriptive and analytic methods, the study relied on secondary sources of data collection. The objectives of the study, among others, are to examine the legal, administrative, and management aspects of the amnesty programme. The study adopted the system theory by David Easton as its theoretical framework. The paper noted that the amnesty programme of disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration is only an elementary stage in peace building and is not comprehensive enough to address the core issues of the Niger Delta. It further observed that there are no proper legal and administrative rules, that isolated cases of post-amnesty disturbances in the region are an indication of the fact that the government is not sincere in its promises to the ex-agitators, and the managers of the programme lack either financial frugality or are administratively inept. The paper concludes that a credible and dependable rehabilitation programme for the militia groups is a sine qua non in checkmating militancy; based on the findings, the paper recommends, among others, that proper application of justice, equality, and fair play in handling the demands of oil-producing minorities may holistically address the teething problems of the Niger Delta region.
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