ex-militants beg FG ON MARCH 28, 20174:43 AMIN NEWSCOMMENTS WARRI— FORMER Niger Delta agitators undergoing training in oil and gas at the Petroleum Training Institute, PTI, Effurun, Delta State, under the sponsorship of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, PAP, have appealed to the Federal Government not to terminate the programme. The ex militants drawn from Delta, Rivers, Akwa-Ibom, Edo and Ondo states, under the aegis of Coalition of Oil and Gas Students, COGS, in an SOS signed by Isaac Duduke and seven others, said they have been at home, instead of school for many months because of the inability of government to pay the contractor/vendor of their programme. Oil pipeline The students demanded that “a standard oil and gas training of the nature and scope approved for us, spanning an average of one year and eight months, of which we have spent only two months.” They specifically urged the Coordinator of PAP, Brig General Paul Boroh (retd.), who they alleged, had almost concluded plans to cancel the oil and gas training programme to jettison the thought. They lamented: “We began the training on December 19, 2015 and were sent home after one week in school for lack of funds as explained by the contractor/vendor, Broadequip. We remained out of school for about five months before we resumed on June 6, 2016, but were again asked to proceed on vacation for one week in August, 2016. This was just barely after two months of studying the introductory theoretical aspects of oil and gas. “Sadly, about eight months after, we have not resumed, all those in charge keep saying there is no money. We heard that the federal government in its avowed commitment to the PAP and the Niger Delta, of which oil and gas is pivotal, has released N5bn for the continuity of the oil and gas training programme and other programmes for ex-militants in the Niger Delta. While we thank the federal government for this kind gesture, we shall be very delighted to be back at school.”
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