AN ASSESSMENT OF THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT AMNESTY PROGRAMME IN THE NIGER DELTA REGION
AN ASSESSMENT OF THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT AMNESTY PROGRAMME IN THE NIGER DELTA REGION
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Date
2017-11
Authors
OMOTORIOGUN, SHAKIRA
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Abstract
Amnesty Programme was set up by the federal government of Nigeria under president Umaru
Yar‟adua administration to address many years of conflict that characterized the Niger Region.
In its formulation, the programme has three core focuses which are Disarmament,
Demobilization, and Reintegration. This work focuses on the rehabilitation and Reintegration
part of the programme with a specific attention on training, job creation and constructive
engagement. This research therefore examines the performance of the programme in these three
areas. The significance of this study is that it brings to fore through am empirical study the actual
impact of the amnesty programme on the peace process in the Niger Delta. The study employed
both the Conflict Transformation and Incremental theory; the former to explain the nature of
conflict in the study area, the latter to explain the amnesty programme as a public policy built on
several previous policies in that region. Three instruments were employed to derive the data for
this study namely; in-depth interview; structured and unstructured questionnaires; as well as
documented materials on the programme as well as the conflict. The study was able to establish
that greed, pollution, resource control, infrastructural deficits, unemployment, poverty,
marginalization, corruption, economic exploitation, are all causes of the Niger Delta conflict,
also the research found out that the amnesty programme has trained several ex-militants in
various areas such as vocational training, training in science and technology as well as in the
humanities both within and outside the country however only few of them had received job after
this training. This research further reveals that the level of infrastructural development is poor
and constructive engagement is lacking. The research hence recommends that this programme be
broaden to accommodate other victims of environmental degradation suffered in the Niger Delta
because restricting the programme to only ex-militant only maginalises others who had also
being affected but had not taken up arms. Also, the government should make frantic efforts to
provide job opportunities for those that had being trained so as to prevent them being drawn into
taking arms again.
Description
A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE POST GRADUATE SCHOOL, AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF MASTER OF SCIENCE DEGREE(M.SC) IN POLITICAL SCIENCE
Keywords
AN ASSESSMENT,, NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT,, AMNESTY PROGRAMME,, NIGER DELTA REGION,