The Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Brig.-Gen. Paul Boroh (Rtd), says that the programme will train 2,000 ex-militants in various trades to ensure sustained development in Niger-Delta region.
Boroh, who is also the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Monday in Abuja.
He said: “We plan to train 2,000 ex-agitators in addition to the ones we have empowered before, to ensure continuous development of the Niger-Delta region.
“I believe that when these people are adequately trained and well empowered, the Niger Delta region will become a good place for all to live.
“The trainees will help boost economic activities of the region, because when the youths do not have a sustainable economic path, our families and communities suffer.”
He said that the proposed training would be in various fields to enable the beneficiaries acquire different skills, in line with their areas of interest.
Boroh added that allowing them get trained in their areas of interest, would bring about passion for the skill, and ensure sustenance and ability to judiciously utilize the skills acquired.
The coordinator said the beneficiaries would be trained in agriculture, restaurant and bar, timber saw and milling, baking, interior decoration, boat construction, film making, communication skills and fine arts.
He explained that some of the trainees would prefer to go into artistic skill that would make them create something from nothing, something beautiful from something ugly.
According to Boroh, PAP is looking at manipulative skills, in which a person learns to handle objects with precision, speed and control.
He said: “We can say that art is a skill obtained through practice. These largely involve physical activities with the use of hand and body coordination to execute a task.”
The presidential aide said that the ex-agitators would also be schooled in communication and literacy, decision making, occupational requirements, problem solving, time management and planning skills.
He said: “These skills will help them cope easily with the daily challenges of life in terms of making decisions and expressing themselves.
“The empowerment will facilitate good leadership and entrepreneurship, to attaining meaningful development and make the beneficiaries to be financially independent.
“The training is part of the ongoing re-integration programme of PAP.’’
NAN recalls that the Amnesty Programme had in the past trained and empowered over 6,000 ex- agitators in their choice areas of businesses.
